Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal has criticised world number one Novak Djokovic after the latter was stopped from entering Australia for the Australian Open by border officials for failure to disclose his vaccination status, which is mandatory for entry into the country. Australian authorities subsequently cancelled Djokovic’s visa, and the tennis star now faces deportation.

Djokovic, who believes his vaccination status is a private matter, had claimed on Instagram that he had obtained an exemption from Australian authorities. However, the news sparked outrage in Australia, which has endured months of restrictions and lockdowns due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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Commenting on Djokovic’s situation and the outrage his claims sparked, Nadal told media, “He made his own decisions, and everybody is free to take their own decisions, but then there are some consequences. Of course I don’t like the situation that is happening. In some way I feel sorry for him. But at the same time, he knew the conditions since a lot of months ago, so he makes his own decision.”

“The only…clear thing [for me] is if you are vaccinated, you can play in the Australian Open and everywhere, and the world in my opinion have been suffering enough to not follow the rules,” continued the Spanish tennis star, emphasizing the importance of vaccination.

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Nadal, who had contracted COVID-19 last month and is fully vaccinated, also sympathised with the Australian people, saying, “A lot of families have been suffering a lot during the last two years with all the pandemic. I mean, it’s normal that the people here in Australia get very frustrated with the [Djokovic] case because they have been going through a lot of very hard lockdowns, and a lot of people were not able to come back home.”

Djokovic, for his part, has launched a court challenge to stay in Australia and compete in the Australian Open, which is slated to begin on January 17.