Novak Djokovic has ne'er been a instrumentality favourite astatine Melbourne Park, but his visa debacle could spot nationalist sentiment displacement successful his favour, according to Nine sports presenter Tony Jones.
The nine-time Australian Open champion has spent the play successful an migration edifice successful Melbourne, aft appealing against the cancellation of his visa.
The satellite No.1 is level connected 20 vocation expansive slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but successful the popularity stakes helium trails some men by the magnitude of the Flemington straight.
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An often polarising fig successful the sport, Djokovic is respected for his achievements, but unloved by galore successful the tennis community.
The unvaccinated Serbian would person astir surely received a hostile reception connected Rod Laver Arena a week ago, but speaking connected Nine's Today, Jones said the events of caller days whitethorn person changed the temper slightly.
"It is embarrassing, it is simply a messiness and conscionable however it's going to play retired is anyone's conjecture astatine the moment," helium said.
"To deliberation that we would person adjacent been having this speech is conscionable an implicit farce.
"There is surely sentiment moving precocious for Novak Djokovic which surely wasn't the lawsuit astir apt 2 weeks agone erstwhile helium was precise overmuch the villain.
"But present the villain, it would seem, has go a victim.
"I conscionable wonderment if helium does really triumph this tribunal lawsuit and whether helium does instrumentality to the tribunal astatine Melbourne Park whether successful information the reception mightiness beryllium a small antithetic than what it would person been had helium not recovered himself successful this predicament."
Djokovic's concern has made headlines astir the satellite successful caller days, but Jones says the concern should ne'er person reached the constituent that it has.
"It should person been sorted earlier Novak Djokovic got connected the plane," helium explained.
"My presumption is rather simple. Novak Djokovic should ne'er person been present successful the archetypal place.
"He's not vaccinated. The aesculapian exemption conscionable seems to beryllium a small unusual successful the mode successful which it was issued. And present we're proceeding of course, a affirmative COVID lawsuit from Novak successful mid December and then helium appeared successful those photographs lone a time oregon truthful later.
"So something's not close here."
Djokovic has won the Australian Open a grounds 9 times, and Jones says the tendency to person him vie astatine Melbourne Park this twelvemonth whitethorn person seen officials driblet the ball.
"It could person been prevented. It would look that we were conscionable hellhole bent connected getting Novak Djokovic retired here, and I tin recognize that," helium said.
"He's the world's fig one. He's aiming for aggregate Australian Open titles, fig 10.
"So yes, determination was a tendency to get him retired here. But determination was ever going to beryllium a cost.
"Now, the fearfulness was that the outgo would beryllium to the wellness of the city. Well, that's taking things to extreme, but present the cost, and determination is simply a monetary outgo present arsenic well, to you and I the payer due to the fact that this national tribunal lawsuit could tally into the hundreds of thousands of dollars."
If Djokovic does prevail astatine Melbourne Park his 21st expansive slam rubric volition beryllium a milestone not antecedently achieved by a antheral player.
"I conscionable wonderment what the reception volition beryllium for Novak Djokovic if helium wins this damn thing," Jones noted.
"If helium does really instrumentality to the tribunal wherever he's much accustomed, whether oregon not the boos, the boos that would person been large and clear, possibly 2 weeks ago, mightiness beryllium subsiding a small spot present arsenic a effect of that."
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