'Not good for tennis, hope that Novak Djokovic is OK': Andy Murray weighs in on court case

British tennis star Andy Murray on Sunday joined in on the controversy surrounding fellow tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa being revoked. Murray raised concern about the issue and said that the Serbian star’s situation is "not good" for tennis. Djokovic’s Australian visa was revoked last week over his COVID-19 vaccination status, and the tennis star is now fighting a court case over the same.

Speaking to local media in Australia, Murray said that the Tennis world is shocked by what transpired with Djokovic. He expressed concern for his fellow player, who is still fighting to remain in Melbourne for the upcoming Australian Open tennis tournament. He said that he wished the Serbian was ‘okay’ amid the crisis situation.

"I hope that Novak is OK. I know him well, and I've always had a good relationship with him and I hope that he's OK," Murray told reporters.

"It's really not good for tennis at all, and I don't think it's good for anyone involved," he added. Djokovic, who has been public about his anti-vaccine stance, ran into trouble after the Australian administration disallowed his medical exemption to compete at the Australian Open without being vaccinated. The world No 1's case is set to be put in front of a judge later today, where his fate regarding stay in the country will be decided.

Novak Djokovic court case

Djokovic arrived in Australia on Wednesday and was immediately taken to an immigration hotel after being grilled by the Australian Border Force for hours over irregularities in visa form. Djokovic was granted a medical exemption by Tennis Australia and the Victoria state government so that he could participate in the Australian Open unvaccinated. However, upon landing at the Melbourne airport, Djokovic was informed that his visa has been revoked. 

The Australian Border Force said Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to show why he was granted a medical exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine. It was also reported that Djokovic's visa was cancelled because his team had applied for the wrong type of visa for a person with a medical exemption. 

Meanwhile, leaked documents emerged on Friday showing Tennis Australia had wrongly informed players that they can enter Australia unvaccinated if they can produce proof to show they had the infection in the past six months. The document, which is a letter sent by Tennis Australia to the Association of Tennis Professionals and has been accessed by the Herald Sun, shows that the players were incorrectly informed that they will be allowed to enter Australia if they prove they had the virus after July. 

Court documents that came out on Friday also show that Djokovic's lawyers contended in the court that the tennis player was granted a medical exemption because of his recent COVID-19 illness. Djokovic's lawyers claimed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on December 16 and was granted the exemption based on that. Djokovic's case is all set to be heard on Monday and a ruling is expected on the same day. 

Image: AP