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Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1 player in men’s tennis, had a lot at stake going into this year’s Australian Open. If he were to win, the Grand Slam would be his 21st, making him the most decorated male tennis player in history.
But he was not vaccinated against Covid-19, flying in the face of Australia’s rules, and he was detained on arrival. Despite challenging that decision through the courts, he was ultimately deported.
In Australia, the “Djokovic affair” has become about a lot more than athletes and vaccines — it has prompted conversations about the country’s aggressive border policy, isolationism and treatment of migrants.
On today’s episode
Damien Cave, the Australia bureau chief for The New York Times.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison latched on to the Djokovic case. But with an election looming, it’s not clear that it was a political winner.
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Novak Djokovic lost his bid to stay in Australia to a government determined to make him a symbol of unvaccinated celebrity entitlement; to an immigration law that gives godlike authority to border enforcement; and to a public outcry, in a nation of rule followers.
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Damien Cave contributed reporting.
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