2022 Australian Open tennis odds: Novak Djokovic will not get COVID exemption clearance after all, to be "deported"

The first tennis Grand Slam tournament of the season, the Australian Open, starts Jan. 17 in Melbourne, and it was thought that men's No. 1 Novak Djokovic was cleared to play in an event he has dominated after receiving a medical exemption from the COVID vaccination. However, that decision has caused a firestorm Down Under and now there's a chance Djokovic will not be allowed to stay in the country. He is the +138 favorite to win the tournament. 

Update: The Australian government has canceled Djokovic's visa and intends to deport him Thursday, with his lawyers expected to appeal. Daniil Medvedev would become the new betting favorite. 

Djokovic had said previously that he was unsure whether he would compete at the Jan. 17-30 tournament due to concerns over Australia's quarantine rules. Organizers of the Australian Open had stipulated that all participants must be vaccinated against COVID or have a medical exemption granted by an independent panel of experts.

Djokovic was given that exemption on Tuesday and he flew to Melbourne, but the type of visa Djokovic applied for does not authorize medical exemptions for being unvaccinated. He has not spoken about his vaccination status but last year stated he was "opposed to vaccination."

Jaala Pulford, acting Victorian sports minister, declared on Twitter that: "We will not be providing Novak Djokovic with individual visa application support to participate in the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam. We've always been clear on two points: visa approvals are a matter for the Federal Government, and medical exemptions are a matter for doctors."

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley defended the "completely legitimate application and process" and insisted there was no special treatment for Djokovic. Only 26 people connected with the event applied for an exemption and, Tiley said, only a "handful" -- estimated at about five -- were granted. The names, ages and nationalities of applicants were redacted for privacy reasons. Djokovic has been the only player in the Australian Open field to reveal his acceptance was the result of a medical exemption.

Perhaps because of the huge public backlash that Djokovic is receiving special treatment, Australia prime minister Scott Morrison has said that Djokovic will be refused entry to the country unless he provides evidence that he cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and "could be on the next plane home" if the proof was insufficient. Australia has some of the world's strictest COVID restrictions but is still seeing a major surge.

"If that evidence is insufficient, then he won't be treated any different to anyone else," Morrison told reporters. "There should be no special rules for Novak Djokovic at all. None whatsoever."

The Aussie Open already will be without six-time champion Roger Federer as he recovers from knee surgery. Rafael Nadal, the 2009 winner, had been on the fence about competing but is playing. He's a +1200 long shot. 

Djokovic has won a record nine Australian Opens – including the past three – and is tied for the most Grand Slam tournament titles all-time at 20 with Federer and Nadal. 

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