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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Who is being U, Australia or Novak Djokovic?

999 replies

inheritancetrack · 06/01/2022 08:06

Me, I'm in the you can't have your cake and eat it Novak, camp!

OP posts:
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8
OssieShowman · 06/01/2022 10:45

After everything we, in Aus have been through. Most locked down city in the world. We don’t want him waltzing in here.

Gooddog · 06/01/2022 10:45

If Novak had kept his mouth shut on social media, he would have been allowed in. Apparently there's a couple of other players on the circuit who were let in under the same circumstances. Their cover will soon be blown.

I think they are both unreasonable. Australia for letting famous people buy their way into the country (looking at you Nicole Kidman) and Novak is stupid for trying to flout the rules. I think he grossly underestimated how much Australians would come down on him. Hopefully a bit of a reality check for him!

Everydaydayisaschoolday · 06/01/2022 10:47

@Gardeningtipsneeded

I was team Oz but now I think they are a bit cowardly for deciding to let him in but then backtracking when they got back lash. I imagine Djokovic is too rich to care really and although I believe he is a bit of a twat, be has stuck to his guns.
To be fair it wasn't the Australian government or border forces that waived the rules allowing him to play in the Open. That was Tennis Australia an organisation similar to Lawn Tennis Association in the UK.

So it's as if the organisers of Wimbledon said they would bend the rules
for a big name (and from a money making point of view you can see why they would, he's a big attraction) but if that person then arrives arrived Heathrow with an incorrect visa they won't be allowed to enter the country.

It's a massive win for the Australian government though. It was such an unpopular decision to let him play so finding a reason to turn him away is a great result for them.

Aussiegirl123456 · 06/01/2022 10:49

@sashagabadon

Australia seems an absolute mess at the moment and not just with Novak chaos. It’s unbelievable a tennis player is causing such an international diplomatic incident. The situation there seems worse than we have ever been at our most chaotic (including maybe April 2020 and then Sep 2020 and Dec 2020 too) with their testing and supply of lfts etc plus all the quarantining stuff. Melbourne has had the longest lockdown in the world and for what? I’d be fuming with it all if I was unfortunate enough to live there.
A mess? Are we? Hmm

Team Australia. Hate how rich people and celebs believe they’re entitled and above the law. Even more so when we haven’t seen our family for over two years.

I keep picturing him in some dingy motel while awaiting his fate!

PlanktonsComputerWife · 06/01/2022 10:50

@alwayscrashinginthesamecar1

I am in Oz and don't know anyone who wants him here. We have all played by the rules, forgoing foreign travel, and there is no way this arrogant shit should be allowed to bend the rules.
You issued him a visa, let him make that huge journey, then detained him at the airport.

You think he is the arrogant one?

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 06/01/2022 10:52

Oh and I work with ABF (not for them) and what they say goes. It doesn't matter what Tennis Australia said, if he didn't fulfill the visa requirements to ABF's satisfaction, he isn't getting in. You don't mess with those guys!

SirChenjins · 06/01/2022 10:52

Awww, bless him. I’m sure he and his team will chalk it down to experience and make sure that they have completed the correct paperwork in the correct way from now on. Y’know, like everyone else who wants into the country has to.

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 06/01/2022 10:56

@PlanktonComputers wife

He didn't adequately meet the visa requirements, so he didn't get in. Nothing arrogant about that.

And I am also failing to recognise this Australia that is apparently an utter mess. It's mighty fine where I'm sitting (WA, nine deaths in total since the start of the whole thing).

Sagealicious · 06/01/2022 10:58

@sashagabadon Yeah I know Novak doesn't make the rules but he should have made sure he knew the requirements before coming here. I think (could be wrong) that Aussies are more angry at the government having one rule for one and a different one for everyone else than they are with him. It's confusing to know what we can or can't do because rules seem to change all the time (at least it feels like that!) and I think that's why there's so much backlash because Novak should have read the room.

Alondra · 06/01/2022 10:58

Look at the debacle Johnny Depp and Amber Herd caused when they tried to bring their dogs here by thinking they could bypass the law(Australia has strict biosecurity rules for a reason). Thank goodness they were shown the door.

Few people in Europe or around the world can comprehend how strict biosecurity rules are in Australia. I was fortunate when I arrived here that I wasn't exposed to the air hostesses fumigating the whole plane with spray. These days we don't notice the fumigation but I've had a few laughs with Australian friends mentioning "coughing their hearts out".

It's normal today to travel between Sydney and Perth and have the dogs sniffing luggage. They are not looking for drugs, they are sniffing fresh food which is against the law to carry between the States.

A lot of problems of why people from many coutries (me included 10 years ago) do not understand why Australia has such strict draconian laws is because there are not many countries with so many protocols and procedures aimed at stopping unwanted pests and diseases from arriving in the country or travelling from state to state.

Australia has a population of over 25 million and so far have 2, 200 deaths due to Covid. We have one of the lowest ratios in the world and with all the sufferering in lockdowns (specially Melbourne), one of the highest level of vaccination (despite fuck ups from Scomo) and we are rebooting hard economically and socially even if the virus is rampant and we have no have no way of testing if we have the virus or not.

I've mentioned Scomo but won't get into it, that's a thread on its own for Australians. I'm just trying to make people who do not live in Australia underestand why we residents dislike Djokovic stand so much.

The PM is an arsehole but Djokovic is trying to be an unvaxxed rich boy entering Australia trying to bypass border rules when so many cizitizens follow those rules to keep the country safe.

End of rant :)

LowlandLucky · 06/01/2022 11:01

Who the fuck does he think he is, what an arrogant twunt. Hope Australia bans him for life.

flotsomandjetsome · 06/01/2022 11:01

Team Aus definitely

My favourite quote ever about Djokovic is:

"He may be an outstanding tennis player, but unfortunately he is a weapons grade bellend of a human being" 🤣

PigletJohn · 06/01/2022 11:02

People are losing patience with antivaxxers.

Like Brexers and Trumpists, the narrative has been then when someone is being an arse, you shouldn't say so because they will be offended.

Sod 'em.

ifonly4 · 06/01/2022 11:05

Team Australia. Their rules are clear and sadly it doesn't sound like Novak (I like him) qualifies under exempt rules.

whynotwhatknot · 06/01/2022 11:06

I like him at the start of his career but he became arrogant then couldnt understand why he was being booed or silence at his matches-hes just not likeable

muddyford · 06/01/2022 11:11

Novak (sounds like a brand of vacuum cleaner) may not be a risk to the Australian population, and other athletes have been allowed in with an exemption. The difference is he has bragged about it, rather than keeping his arrogant mouth shut. I'm with the Australians on this.

Aussiegirl123456 · 06/01/2022 11:11

[quote alwayscrashinginthesamecar1]@PlanktonComputers wife

He didn't adequately meet the visa requirements, so he didn't get in. Nothing arrogant about that.

And I am also failing to recognise this Australia that is apparently an utter mess. It's mighty fine where I'm sitting (WA, nine deaths in total since the start of the whole thing).[/quote]
I know right! I keep seeing on Facebook loads of friends in the uk saying how they feel sorry for Australians and how we’re in a total mess right now and I’m wondering what I’m missing! 8 deaths in our state since the very beginning of the pandemic and six days lockdown during 2021. Yes, case numbers are increasing significantly right now but cases are milder. I’m sure our relatives back in England are being told (probably by the BBC who also told everyone Australia was on fire) we’ve spent the past two years under house arrest, been forcefully vaccinated against our will and ‘we’re a mess’. Hmm

Anyway…totally digressed, just bewildered by some of the comments on here!

JulesJules · 06/01/2022 11:11

Team Australia here.

I think it's been handled badly - but this is because he was given permission to play by the tennis officials, obviously they can't overrule the Australian government rules on entry to the country.

Sagealicious · 06/01/2022 11:11

@Alondra

Look at the debacle Johnny Depp and Amber Herd caused when they tried to bring their dogs here by thinking they could bypass the law(Australia has strict biosecurity rules for a reason). Thank goodness they were shown the door.

Few people in Europe or around the world can comprehend how strict biosecurity rules are in Australia. I was fortunate when I arrived here that I wasn't exposed to the air hostesses fumigating the whole plane with spray. These days we don't notice the fumigation but I've had a few laughs with Australian friends mentioning "coughing their hearts out".

It's normal today to travel between Sydney and Perth and have the dogs sniffing luggage. They are not looking for drugs, they are sniffing fresh food which is against the law to carry between the States.

A lot of problems of why people from many coutries (me included 10 years ago) do not understand why Australia has such strict draconian laws is because there are not many countries with so many protocols and procedures aimed at stopping unwanted pests and diseases from arriving in the country or travelling from state to state.

Australia has a population of over 25 million and so far have 2, 200 deaths due to Covid. We have one of the lowest ratios in the world and with all the sufferering in lockdowns (specially Melbourne), one of the highest level of vaccination (despite fuck ups from Scomo) and we are rebooting hard economically and socially even if the virus is rampant and we have no have no way of testing if we have the virus or not.

I've mentioned Scomo but won't get into it, that's a thread on its own for Australians. I'm just trying to make people who do not live in Australia underestand why we residents dislike Djokovic stand so much.

The PM is an arsehole but Djokovic is trying to be an unvaxxed rich boy entering Australia trying to bypass border rules when so many cizitizens follow those rules to keep the country safe.

End of rant :)

Exactly. This issue isn't so much about Novak, Covid or vaccination. It's about entitled people thinking they can bypass the laws of a country.
teaandtoastwithmarmite · 06/01/2022 11:12

Both. I really like Novak as a player but he seems arrogant to think he can flount the rules. However Australia seemed to be letting him in until everyone went mad about it.

PlanktonsComputerWife · 06/01/2022 11:14

Novak (sounds like a brand of vacuum cleaner)

No. It sounds like a perfectly ordinary Slavic name. Such casual xenophobia on here.

4pmwinetimebebeh · 06/01/2022 11:18

Australia were in the right, Djokovic IBU

vivainsomnia · 06/01/2022 11:19

I like Novak, I do think he is a good person and genuine.

However, I agree that he should accept that choices come with consequences. And that's one of them. It applies to everyone.

tigger1001 · 06/01/2022 11:20

Think Djokovic is being unreasonable. He knew the rules for entry, as nasal has pointed out, for a few months and has tried to circumnavigate them.

And if he is allowed to stay and play it will be interesting to see how the crowd and other players reacts to that. Given he seems to have a need to be loved, this may not end well for him even if allowed to play.

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