'I think it might get ugly' - Rod Laver urges Novak Djokovic to reveal reason for medical exemption for Australian Open
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Updated 05/01/2022 at 12:28 GMT
“I think it might get ugly,” Australian tennis great Rod Laver, a winner of 11 Grand Slams and one of the most famous players in the game, told the Herald Sun. “I would think the Victorian people would be thinking ‘yes I would love to see him play and compete but at the same time, there’s a right way and a wrong way’.”
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The backlash over Novak Djokovic’s medical exemption shows no signs of abating, as Australian great Rod Laver has urged the world No. 1 to come clean on why he has been granted one.
Djokovic announced on Tuesday he had been granted a medical exemption to participate in the Australian Open and the news has caused controversy.
Players have to be vaccinated to compete at the opening major of the year, unless they are granted a medical exemption.
Australia’s tough restrictions to combat Covid-19 have meant families have been separated, as many outside the country struggled to get home to see loved ones.
In light of that, handing an exemption to Djokovic has prompted a backlash in some quarters.
Laver, an 11-time major champion, is sporting royalty in Australia and he feels there will be ill-feeling towards the Serb when he plays at Melbourne Park if he does not explain how he came about being granted an exemption.
“I think it might get ugly,” Laver told the Herald Sun. “I would think the Victorian people would be thinking ‘yes I would love to see him play and compete but at the same time, there’s a right way and a wrong way’.”
Laver continued by raising a question that many have been asking.
“If he’s got a reason then... We should know it,” Laver said. “Yes, you’re a great player and you’ve performed and won so many tournaments, so it can’t be physical. So what is the problem?”
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