‘Follow the rules, it’s not difficult’ – Garbine Muguruza slams unvaccinated Novak Djokovic after Australian Open debacle
Garbine Muguruza thinks “everybody wants to move on and focus on the good parts” of the Australian Open after it was decided Novak Djokovic will be deported and miss the Grand Slam.
20-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic will be deported just one day before the Australian Open starts after the court upheld Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s decision cancel Djokovic’s visa once again.
Djokovic travelled Down Under after being given a medical exemption, although it was deemed insufficient upon arrival and his visa was subsequently cancelled.
The World number one fought the decision in court, where it was revealed that he is unvaccinated against Covid-19, but his medical exemption and visa were reinstated. However, Hawke then superseded the courts decision to cancel the visa once more.
In a pre-tournament press conference, Muguruza joked by saying “every time I’m in the press conference this question gets asked. I answered in Sydney!
“I think it’s taking [too] long. I think we all want to move on … and focus on the cool aspect of starting a Slam.
“I think that all this could have been avoided like we’ve all done by getting vaccinated and doing all the things we had to do to come here in Australia because everybody knew very clearly the rules and we just have to follow them, that’s it. I don’t think it’s that difficult.
“I don’t think this would help the tennis world or the players because at the end, it’s a little bit of conflict all the time so I think again that it’s already difficult enough to make the tournaments work and make the WTA and ATP circuits happen, going country by country to be creating all of this news.
“I’m just like everybody else watching what’s happening … but I think we all want to move on from this and focus on the good parts.”
In a press conference at the Sydney International earlier this week, Muguruza said “it’s a bit of a show what is happening. Sooner or later we all have to get vaccinated so I don’t know why [there is] so much controversy, it’s a show that doesn’t benefit tennis at all.
“I am vaccinated and I have no problem saying it. I am vaccinated and happy to do it, I don’t see why you have to do it differently.”
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