Former quarter-finalist Tennys Sandgren has blasted the Australian Open over their treatment of Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic sensationally had his visa cancelled at Melbourne airport on Wednesday after travelling to Australia with ‘exemption permission’ to play the Australian Open.
Sandgren, like Djokovic, has decided not to get vaccinated against COVID but opted to simply skip the event instead of pursuing the medical exemption route.
And, after news broke of Djokovic being detained at Melbourne airport, the American made his feelings known on Twitter by saying Australia ‘does not deserve a Grand Slam.’
Just to be crystal clear here
2 separate medical boards approved his exemption
And politicians are stopping it
Australia doesn’t deserve to host a grand slam https://t.co/3B6lt4u9Mq
— Tennys Sandgren (@TennysSandgren) January 5, 2022
“Just to be crystal clear here, two separate medical boards approved his exemption,” Sandgren said of Djokovic.
“Politicians are stopping it. Australia doesn’t deserve to host a grand slam.”
When a fan suggested it was simply an administration error and would be resolved, Sandgren replied: “They are actively stopping him. It’s not just a clerical error.”
It appears Sandgren’s instincts were correct, with Australian Border Force releasing a statement saying Djokovic had failed to produce sufficient evidence to validate the exemption.
Djokovic has won an incredible nine Australian Open titles, and now looks like he will denied the chance to pursue a tenth this year.
If he had won it, Djokovic would have also surpassed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to become the man with most major titles in history.
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