Daniel Andrews took a subtle swip at Novak Djokovic during his daily Covid press conference on Thursday as the Serbian nervously awaits his Australian Open fate
Daniel Andrews has taken a swing at Novak Djokovic during his daily Covid press conference - quoting the Serbian tennis superstar's arch-rival in the process.
The Victorian Premier was asked on Thursday about Djokovic's ongoing visa battle with the federal government which could see him deported as early as today - just four days out from the start of the Australian Open.
Mr Andrews said while he isn't involved in the process surrounding the visa debacle, he had some advice for the 20-time grand slam champion.
'Just get vaccinated. That is the key, that's it,' he said.
'Rafa (Rafael Nadal) could not have put it any better. Just get vaccinated.'
The world No.1's hopes of taking part in the Melbourne tournament are hanging by a thread as more questions are raised about his visa application and vaccine exemption.
The Federal Government is expected to announce on Thursday whether it will launch a renewed bid to deport the winner of 20 Grand Slams. Of most concern to Australian officials is Djokovic's admitted breach of Serbia's isolation rules after learning he had tested positive.
Daniel Andrews took a subtle swip at Novak Djokovic during his daily Covid press conference on Thursday, quoting the Serbian's arch-rival Rafael Nadal in the process
Nadal, Djokovic's sternest rival both for both the Australian Open and the grand slam record took aim at the Serbian last week saying his decisions had consequences.
The Spaniard said he empathised with the situation of Aussies constantly being locked down throughout the pandemic and said Djokovic could have easily entered the country if he had simply gotten the jab.
'It's normal that the people here in Australia gets very frustrated with the case, because they have been going through a lot of very hard lockdowns... A lot of people were not able to come back home,' Nadal told reporters.
'The only for me clear thing 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.
'The only thing I can say is I believe in what the people who knows about medicine says. If the people says we need to get vaccinated, we need to get the vaccine, that's my point of view.
Rafael Nadal said Djokovic 'should have known better' and could have easily entered to defend his title if he had simply gotten vaccinated
'I went through the COVID, I have been vaccinated twice. And if you do this, you don't have any problem to play here. That's the only clear thing.'
Without wanting to be drawn in on a personal attack on Djokovic, the world no.6 said the Serbian 'should have known better' than to travel to Australia without a valid exemption.
'I think if he wanted, he would be playing here in Australia without a problem... He made his own decisions, and everybody is free to take their own decisions, but there are some consequences,' Nadal said.
'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 decisions.'
Mr Andrews said Djokovic needed to drop his ego and make the commitment towards helping others by getting the jab.
'Rather than focusing on one person, and that tournament is a lot bigger than one person. It's called a grand slam for a reason, it's bigger than any one person,' he said.
'Just like the safety of our community is bigger than any one person. '
Mr Andrews said Djokovic is 'not bigger' than the Australian Open and he should get vaccinated like everyone else competing at the grand slam
Border Force investigators are concerned about the false information Djokovic provided on his travel entry form, which incorrectly told Border Force he had not travelled in the past 14 days despite visiting Spain.
Djokovic on Wednesday admitted to doing an interview and photo shoot with a French newspaper while infected with Covid last month, and blamed his agent for the 'administrative error' on his travel entry form.
Lingering mystery also surrounds when Djokovic actually learned he had Covid with a German publication sowing doubt on the timing of his PCR test after QR Code information was uncovered that 'did not match up'.
While this could be a quirk of Serbia's reporting system, it has cast doubts on Djokovic's claims he tested positive on December 16.
The 34-year-old disclosed he had attended an event with children in Belgrade the next day while he was Covid positive, but said he didn't know he was infected until afterwards.
Sources have told the Herald Sun senior Morrison Government figures believe they should fight for the integrity of Australia's border policy, regardless of the chances of being successful.
They added the Government is prepared to cop a global backlash as deporting Djokovic would be consistent with 'ongoing efforts to control the spread of Covid'.
The penalty for giving false evidence under the Crimes Act is a five-year jail term.
Border Force investigators are concerned about the false information Djokovic provided on his travel entry form, which incorrectly told Border Force he had not travelled in the past 14 days despite visiting Spain
The Victorian Premier announced a string of tough new restrictions on the state on Thursday, but also released tens of thousands of critical workers from isolation rules.
The state recorded 37,169 new cases and 25 deaths on Thursday, with hospitalisations at a record high of 953, a slight
