"It seems that not everyone plays by the rules," said Stefanos Tsitsipas about Djokovic's attitude in relation to the Australian Open.
It is recalled that Tsitsipas himself faced a lot of criticism for most of 2021 for his refusal, albeit not a denial, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Only last month, the Greek tennis star stated “Rules are rules and are set for a purpose. Therefore, if some players decide not to follow them, it is their choice. I would not say it is right or wrong here. I followed what was necessary for me to be in Australia."
A journalist from Melbourne told ERT TV that Tsitsipas got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Speaking on the current situation with Djokovic, the Greek said: "It never crossed my mind to appear unvaccinated. It takes courage to risk a grand slam, but not everyone seems to be playing by the rules of the government."
"A small percentage seem to choose their own path, making the majority seem like fools or something like that," he said in reference to Djokovic.
Tsitsipas added that in his opinion everyone has the right to choose what to do with their body, even though this is something that some use to disrespect other people.
"Your body is very important, it is your machine, if you feel that you are not safe, you have to protect it and you have to use it as a guide," he said.
Τσιτσιπάς για Τζόκοβιτς: Φαίνεται πως δεν παίζουν όλοι με τους κανόνεςhttps://t.co/rtQLdBNkJT pic.twitter.com/i52JzvBoaZ
— ΕΛΛΑΔΑ 24 (@ellada24) January 13, 2022
Djokovic arrived in Australia as COVID-19 cases were rising across the country.
He was denied entry last week at Melbourne’s airport after officials canceled his visa because he was not vaccinated, an entry requirement for non-citizens.
A judge reinstated the visa and ordered the Serb tennis star to be released from immigration detention.
None-the-less, he continues to face possible deportation by the immigration minister.
The omicron variant has swept across Australia despite its high vaccination rate and strict border policies that kept the country largely sealed off from the world for almost two years.
Those measures, which turned Australia into a virtually COVID-19-free utopia early in the pandemic have garnered fresh scrutiny as the government has battled to deport unvaccinated tennis star Djokovic ahead of the Australian Open.
Officially, there are now more than 600,000 active cases across Australia’s population of 26 million, though experts believe the actual number is far higher.
The surge, health experts say, is partly due to two factors: Politicians were reluctant to renege on pre-omicron promises that they would relax restrictions such as mask-wearing, and the emergence of the incredibly contagious variant.
READ MORE: Aussie TV anchors caught trashing Novak Djokovic; called him a sneaky a**hole (video).
