‘Work From Home’: Memes Flood Twitter After Australia Deports No.1 Over Vaccination Status
© REUTERS / LOREN ELLIOTT
Earlier in the day, the Federal Court of Australia decided to ban Djokovic from entering the nation over his vaccination status. The Serbian gov’t had vowed to stand by the No.1 tennis player, as critics suggest Canberra has attempted to use sport for political purposes.
The deportation of Novak Djokovic from Australia has generated a flurry of memes mocking the end of an absurd drama involving the world’s best tennis player and the Australian government.
As the number 1 tennis player in the world was ordered to go home on Sunday, social media exploded, with some social media users taking aim at the tennis player himself, claiming that he should not be spared from the strictest COVID-19 restrictions that have been imposed on the Australian people.
Some memes have played a pun on the visa of the famous athlete, while others mocked the decisions of the authorities in the rather strange case regarding his access to the country.
Some recalled the recent incident with the Australian Channel 7 TV hosts, whose personal opinions about the Joker shared during a break in a news program were leaked to the Internet. Others, for instance, in their emotional posts about the outcome of the drama with the tennis player’s visa, noted that Djokovic himself was to blame for the situation.
In addition, a video showing the decision-making process to expel Djokovic from the country has leaked to social media.
And another user shared a photo of the next training session of the best men’s tennis player.
The federal court backed Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s decision to reject the tennis world number one’s visa, following weeks of miscommunication between the state of Victoria and the federal government and divided public opinion. Following this, Djokovic was quickly brought to Melbourne airport early on Sunday and deported to Dubai on an Emirates flight.
Some have accused the Australian government of exploiting the tennis star as a political pawn to justify its draconian and unpopular coronavirus restrictions. Despite suspicions that his exemption and the specifics of his movements in the weeks leading up to the tournament were not real, the unvaccinated tennis star was first granted a visa and allowed into the country.
Over the past couple of weeks before this decisive court action, many claimed that the world number one presented no threat because he had recently recovered from COVID-19 and had been instilled with natural immunity in addition to his already good physical health.
Earlier in the day, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) shared a statement in which it noted that Djokovic’s absence from the Australian Open is a loss for the sport. Apart from that, the sport’s governing organization wished the athlete luck while also emphasizing that “decisions of legal authorities regarding matters of public health must be respected.”
As for the man himself, Djokovic said on Sunday that he was “extremely disappointed” by the court’s decision, but said he would respect it.
