Melbourne, Australia (CNN)Tennis star Rafael Nadal has said decisions have “consequences” and while he respects his close rival Novak Djokovic, those in the public “must be responsible”.
In an interview with CNN on Saturday, the 35-year-old, who is in Melbourne ahead of next week’s Australian Open, seemed to express frustration at how Novak Djokovic’s Visa saga has overshadowed the tournament, describing it as a “circus.”
Djokovic was arrested by Australian border authorities on Saturday morning in accordance with a court-ordered order decided on Friday after his visa was revoked for a second time by Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.
The man’s No. 1 will now spend Saturday night in custody before facing a federal court hearing on Sunday morning Australian time in a last-ditch effort to have the verdict overturned.
Justifying his decision to annul the tennis champion’s visa, Immigration Secretary Hawke said Djokovic’s continued presence in Australia could lead to “increasing anti-vaccination sentiment” or even “civil unrest”, court documents show.
“I’m just a player who sees the circus from the outside. But like I said, I’m a bit fed up with this affair,” Nadal told CNN. “I think it went too far. I wish Novak all the best. And that’s it, I want to play tennis.”
The former world No. 1 is looking to add to his tally of 20 Majors – a record he shares with Roger Federer and Djokovic – when the tournament begins next week. Nadal confirmed that he had neither seen nor spoken to Djokovic in the past few days.
When asked about the impact of Djokovic’s vaccine skepticism on members of the public who look to the world No. 1 as a role model, Nadal said that while he respects his competitor, “people who are in a position who can create or have an impact to other people must be responsible.”
“I respect him as a person. As an athlete, of course. Although I don’t agree with his thinking on how to proceed with this pandemic,” Nadal said. “I really believe in vaccinations… and when you make your choices, there are some consequences… We’ve done a lot of things together. I think positive things for our sport and wish it all the best,” Nadal said.
“What we are facing globally is much, much more important than tennis and tennis players… Millions of people have already died and many families have been suffering the consequences of this terrible (pandemic) for almost two years,” he added.
Nadal, returning from a foot injury, said the Australian Open would be “great with or without Novak Djokivic”, adding that in the history of the sport there is nothing more important than the sport itself.
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