Australian tennis boss boasts of 'unbelievable' job on Djokovic drama

MELBOURNE - Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley boasted of his team's "unbelievable job" after the visa crisis engulfing
Novak Djokovic, in a video leaked to the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper on
Saturday.

   Addressing the camera in the internal video, which was published online by
the paper, Tiley said: "There is a lot finger pointing going on and a lot of
blaming going on but I can assure you our team has done an unbelievable job."

   Australia's top tennis body, organiser of this month's Australian Open,
has been accused of misleading players over the Covid-19 vaccine requirements
for entering the country.

   In a memo to players, published by multiple Australian media outlets, it
advised that a recent Covid-19 infection may allow players an exemption from
being fully vaccinated against the virus.

   Australia's government said that advice was only valid for Australian
residents, not for foreign nationals trying to enter the country.

   It added that the health minister warned Tennis Australia of this in
November.

   Border agents tore up men's tennis world number one Djokovic's entry visa
for failing to meet the country's Covid-19 vaccine requirements when he
landed in Melbourne on Wednesday.

   He is now in an immigration detention centre, seeking to overturn the
decision on appeal.

   A second prospective Australian Open player -- Czech doubles specialist
Renata Voracova -- had her visa cancelled after initially being allowed into
the country, her government has confirmed.

   She was also placed in the Melbourne detention facility.

   "Unfortunately over the last couple of days, there's been a circumstance
that relates to a couple of players, Novak particularly," Tiley said in the
leaked video.

   "We empathise with the situation we currently have and are working closely
with Novak and his team, and others and their team, that are in this
situation," he added.

   The Tennis Australia chief said the organisation had chosen not to address
the issue in public because of Djokovic's lawsuit.

   But Tiley said his team had done "everything they possibly could according to all the instructions that they have been provided".BSS/AFP