Murray says Djokovic saga ‘not good’ for tennis

British tennis star Andy Murray on Sunday expressed concern about fellow tennis star Novak Djokovic, whose Australian visa was revoked last week over his COVID-19 vaccination status, adding that his situation is “not good” for tennis, Reuters reported. 

Speaking to local media, Murray said that everyone is shocked by what transpired with Djokovic, who is still fighting to remain in Melbourne for the upcoming Australian Open tennis tournament, after being stopped by authorities at the airport on Thursday. 

“I hope that Novak is OK. I know him well, and I’ve always had a good relationship with him and I hope that he’s OK,” Murray told reporters. 

“It’s really not good for tennis at all, and I don’t think it’s good for anyone involved.”

Djokovic, who has been public about his anti-vaccine stance, hasn’t disclosed his inoculation status, but was granted a medical exemption to compete at the Australian Open.

Australian Open chief Craig Tiley blamed conflicting and quickly changing directives in “a challenging environment” for the situation with Djokovic, Reuters reported. 

“All I can say is that, primarily because there is (so) much contradictory information the whole time, every single week we were talking to Home Affairs, we were talking to all parts of government to ensure that, one, we were doing the right thing, and the right process with these exemptions,” Tilley told an Australian media outlet on Sunday. 

“The conflicting information, and the contradictory information we received, was because of the changing environment. We are in a challenging environment.”

A hearing in Djokovic’s case is expected to take place on Monday, Reuters noted. The first matches of the Australian Open began on Sunday.