The decision to grant world number one Novak Djokovic a medical exemption to defend his Australian Open crown has sparked fury Down Under.Australian Open organisers issued a statement late Tuesday night to confirm Djokovic will be allowed to compete at the tournament, which starts on Jan. 17, and is on his way to Australia. He earlier withdrew from Serbia's team for the ATP Cup, which started last weekend in Sydney.
"Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts," the statement said. "One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applications to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation guidelines."Tennis Australia said the process included the redaction of personal information to ensure privacy for all applicants. That means Djokovic was not obliged to make his exemption public.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said "fair and independent protocols were established for assessing medical exemption applications that will enable us to ensure Australian Open 2022 is safe and enjoyable for everyone.""Central to this process was that the decisions were made by independent medical experts and that every applicant was given due consideration," Tiley said.Victoria state Deputy Premier James Merlino last month said the medical exemptions were "not a loophole for privileged tennis players.""It is a medical exemption in exceptional circumstances if you have an acute medical condition," Merlino said at a news conference.The decision provoked a heated reaction from Australians online, especially since Melbourne endured months of strict lockdowns and harsh travel restrictions at the height of the pandemic.
