Djokovic eager to return to Australian Open: Tiley
Australian Open executive Craig Tiley says Novak Djokovic would love to play at the Australian Open but would have to sort out his issues with the government. He also confirmed that Russians and Belarusians could compete under a neutral flag.
The Serb’s deportation highlighted the first Grand Slam event of 2022 after a long-drawn legal battle over his visa status.
A new government is now in charge, and the decision to rescind Djokovic’s visa can be reversed, but the present government has shown no indication of doing so.
“What we’re saying at this point is that Novak and the federal government need to work out the situation. And then we’ll follow any instruction after that,” Tiley said at the tournament’s official launch.
“I did spend some time with Novak at the Laver Cup. We spoke generally. He said that he’d obviously love to come back to Australia, but he knows it’s going to be an ultimate decision for the federal government.
“He’s accepted that position. It’s a private matter between them.”
The former world number one has refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine due to personal reasons. However, Australia still has strict immigration rules concerning vaccination against the virus.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Showbiz
Nigeria to loan seven Benin Bronzes to U.S. museum for five years
NMAfA, in a joint ceremony, collectively transferred ownership of 29 Benin bronzes to NCMM on Tuesday.
Port Harcourt
Wike doles out N1 billion to Rivers flood victims; appoints 28,000 political assistants
He said the amount would enable the vulnerable families to cope with the devastating floods that had affected their homes and farmlands.
Enugu
IPOB Proscription: Appeal Court to hear Nnamdi Kanu’s application March 7
Mr Kanu, who expressed dissatisfaction with the judgement, has proposed challenging it on appeal.
Heading 1
FG approves N11.8 billion for aviation equipment maintenance centres in Katsina, Abuja
The minister said when fully established, the centre would cater for aviation firefighting trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles.
Lagos
Lagos only wealthy on paper; I’ll redirect state’s wealth from individual’s pocket: Jandor
Mr Adediran said this while unveiling a seven-point programme of action for the state if elected governor in 2023.
Abuja
We’ll demolish structures obstructing waterways beyond rainy season: FEMA
Mr Idriss said human-induced activities caused floods, adding that the agency was able to mitigate the impact of the perennial heavy floods parts of Abuja.
