Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has recently made his comeback to the court this season versus the Pacers. Irving wasn’t allowed to play this season as he didn’t follow New York city’s safety protocols. Former NBA star Charles Barkley has been vocal about his criticism of the 29-year-old guard.

Due to several cases of injuries, the Nets decided to allow Kyrie Irving to play this season. However, he would play just the away games this season due to the aforementioned protocols. Another star sportsperson in the news for not being able to participate in his respective tournament is Novak Djokovic.

It’s safe to say he is among the greatest players in the history of tennis. He has been in the news for the wrong reasons and could miss the Australian Open. Charles Barkley, who has criticized Irving for not following the safety mandates, has now gone against Djokovic amidst the controversy surrounding his visa issues in Australia.

Charles Barkley opens up on the ongoing controversy regarding Novak Djokovic’s entry into Australia

Djokovic has been denied entry to Australia for his participation in the upcoming Australian Open. He has now spent two days in immigration detention as his lawyers are trying to get him an exemption from strict protocols for entering Australia. Former NBA star Barkley has stepped into the controversy and praised Australia for their decision.

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“Shout out to Australia. Shout out to Australia, who said Novak Djokovic, who’s in the conversation with Nadal and Federer and Pete Sampras,” Barkley said.

“That’s the greatest tennis players ever. Like ‘no, you just can’t come here and play tennis, we have very strict rules’. They have probably the lowest COVID-related stuff in the world. They’re like, ‘no you just can’t come here for two weeks and win millions of dollars playing tennis’. Shout out to them for sending.”

The world no. 1 in tennis, Djokovic‘s visa, was canceled yesterday after a stand-off with officials at the Melbourne airport. The 9-time Australian Open champion had previously secured a medical exemption for participating in the 2022 Australian Open. However, he was stopped at the border control itself. The officials deemed his exemption documents as insufficient.

Djokovic has now legally challenged the decision for denying him entry into the country. The Serb is on his way to overtake Nadal and Federer for the most Grand Slam singles titles and not being able to participate in the Australian Open could be a massive setback in his career.

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