How Djokovic's deportation helped Miomir Kecmanovic earn biggest prize money of his career

Serbian tennis player Miomir Kecmanovic is expected to get probably the biggest pay cheque of his career, for which he can express his gratitude to fellow countryman Novak Djokovic. Kecmanovic was slated to play his first match at the 2022 Australian Open against World No. 1. However, after Djokovic's visa was cancelled and the Serbian legend was deported from Australia, Kecmanovic was pitched against Italian Salvatore Caruso in his first game of the competition. Kecmanovic went on to win the game. 

After beating Caruso, Kecmanovic defeated Tommy Paul of the United States in the second round to earn his best finish at a major Grand Slam event. The 22-year-old defeated Italy's 25th-seeded Lorenzo Sonego in the third round to reach the final 16 round. Kecmanovic is expected to earn at least $237,000, given he has already qualified for the fourth round. Kecmanovic might not have progressed this far in the competition if he had met Djokovic in his opening game. If Kecmanovic wins the cash reward, it would be his career's biggest prize money. 

"A week ago I was supposed to play the world No. 1 and didn't have much of a chance there. But now I'm in the last 16, so I'm happy that I was able to use this chance and that I've been playing some really good tennis. I didn't have much pressure just because I felt that I got a second chance. So I just wanted to use it the best that I can," Kecmanovic was quoted as saying by ESPN. 

Djokovic's deportation

As far as Djokovic is concerned, the 21-time Grand Slam winner was deported out of Australia due to his vaccination status. The Australian Border Force, who had detained Djokovic upon his arrival at the Melbourne airport, said the Serbian national's visa was revoked after he failed to provide an appropriate travel document. Djokovic challenged the decision in court and got his visa reinstated. However, a couple of days later, the Australian government cancelled Djokovic's visa again, saying that it was in the public interest. 

Djokovic's visa was cancelled by the Australian authorities when photographs and recordings of him surfaced showing the World No. 1 attending public events at a time when he claimed he was COVID-19 positive. Djokovic was earlier granted a medical exemption by Tennis Australia and the Victoria state government to take part in the Australian Open. Djokovic was compelled to leave the nation despite the exemption. Now that Djokovic's visa has been withdrawn, he is barred from entering Australia for three years.

Image: AP