Visa issue of tennis star Djokovic reveals spinning and blame-shifting of Australian federal govt over pandemic mess

The visa controversy surrounding Novak Djokovic, the men's world tennis champion, highlights how the Australian federal government uses spin to manipulate public opinion.

In this case Djokovic is being made out to be the bad guy in an effort by the government to deflect attention away from its own incompetence.

As one headline writer put it over the weekend "It's shame, set and match … and the Djoke is on us". One commentator said: "The vitriol hurled at Novak Djokovic says more about Australia than him."

The Serbian tennis ace has done nothing wrong so why is he being treated like a criminal?

The fact is somewhere along the line bureaucrats and sports administrators have bungled the paperwork and now they are blaming each other, and the government is now using it to cover its bungled attempt to handle the current COVID outbreak sweeping the country.

Djokovic arrived in Melbourne in the early hours of Jan 6 with a valid visa to play at the Australian Open. It would appear he and other international players were granted an exemption from COVID-19 vaccination rules by Tennis Australia, the sport's governing body in Australia.

Djokovic has made it perfectly clear he is against vaccination although he is willing to keep an open mind.

Later on Jan 10 Djokovic's legal team will take up his case in the federal court. Depending what transpires the world champion will either be allowed to defend his title or be put on the first flight out of the country.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his advisers were quick to capitalise on the visa fiasco. Not long after Djokovic landed Morrison said: "Djokovic's visa has been cancelled. Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders." And he should know.

As Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (Sept 18, 2013 to Dec 23, 2014) during the government of then prime minister John Howard he oversaw one of the harshest and some would say cruellest policies against "illegal" refugees arriving in Australia. Some of whom are still housed in the same immigration hotel Djokovic has been confined to.

The point Morrison and his government seem to miss is Djokovic, love him or hate him, is no refugee. He is no criminal … he plays tennis.

Even an unvaccinated Djokovic has more chance of getting COVID in Australia than spreading it.

The question, however, keeps coming back to the way government has handled the situation and why issue Djokovic a visa in the first place.

Djokovic claimed on Jan 8 he had received a letter from Australia's immigration department days before his arrival in Melbourne saying he met the requirements for quarantine-free travel to Australia because he had had been infected with COVID-19 for a second time in December.

The French government has already said it has no objection to Djokovic playing in the French Open in May and the Americans have said much the same regarding the US Open later in the year. Even Wimbledon has raised no objection to his (Djokovic) taking part.

This time last year the Australian Open was put back to February because of COVID-19. Djokovic quarantined on arrival in Australia to play, and then the Victorian state government announced lockdowns which meant there were no crowds for roughly half the tournament.

As one commentator put it: "Last year's Australian Open was not an experience that organisers wanted to repeat. But fast forward to 2022, and even before the turn of the New Year, there were question marks as COVID's new Omicron variant took hold around the world."

Roger Federer announced late last year he would not be playing in Melbourne as he is recovering from knee surgery. A week before Christmas, Rafael Nadal revealed he had tested positive for COVID in Spain.

This left Djokovic, the only member of the "Big Three" who has remained in top form and a favourite to make history by reaching 21 grand slams with a win in the first major tournament of the year in Melbourne.

Even if Djokovic is allowed to stay there is a risk his presence will become a focal point for the public especially by those who see the rules being bent, yet again, for the rich and famous while ordinary Australians are forced to wait at the end of the line.

Protests will also reflect badly on Tennis Australia and its ability to handle a crisis.

Tennis Australia has a contract to hold the Australian Open in Melbourne until 2039 and the only reason it is up there with the French and US Open is that it pays players a lot of money to travel halfway around the world to play.

Administrators at the Association of Tennis Professionals (men's tour), Women's Tennis Professionals (women's tour) and the International Tennis Federation (the governing body of world tennis) need to be confident the tournament can proceed smoothly with strong levels of public and government support.

If confidence levels drop, or the attitude of Australian people, officials or government is seen as problematic, then that could be a big issue for the tournament going forward whether Djokovic wins or loses.

The author is a correspondent of China Daily based in Sydney.