Craig Tiley is optimistic about Novak Djokovic returning for next year’s Australian Open but has ruled out seeking any favours from government officials who will determine the Serb’s fate.
Djokovic is serving an automatic three-year ban from Australia after being dramatically deported on the eve of this year’s Open for trying to enter the country while not vaccinated against COVID-19.
While the vaccine mandate is no longer an obstacle for the former world No.1, Djokovic’s lawyers are still trying to have his visa ban overturned.
“Nothing official yet. We are waiting. They are communicating with the government of Australia. That’s all I can tell you for now,” Djokovic told reporters after winning his opening match at the ATP Finals in Turin on Monday night.
Some Australian news outlets on Tuesday night were reporting Immigration Minister Andrew Giles had already overturned the ban, but Tennis Australia said it had not heard of any such development.
With Wednesday marking two months before the 2023 Open gets underway in Melbourne, the uncertainty is hardly ideal but Tiley is hopeful tennis fans – and Djokovic – will not have to endure a re-run of this year’s soap opera.
Tiley, though, is adamant he will not get involved as the ‘will he or won’t he’ saga rages on.
“There’s a normal visa application process that everyone is going through right now, and everyone will go through the right timing,” Tiley told AAP.
“I don’t think there should be any preferential treatment for anyone.
“But I fully expect to have an answer for everyone by the time that they need to book their flights and come in, including Novak.
“That’s entirely up to the Australian government. I know Novak wants to come and play and to get back to competing.
“He loves Australia and it’s where he’s had the best success but the timing (on any announcement) is up to somebody else and we’ll just play that one by ear.”
Tiley was caught in the middle of last summer’s firestorm, breaking the news to the nine-time champion that he had secured a medical exemption to play at Melbourne Park, only for the then-immigration minister Alex Hawke to personally intervene and boot Djokovic out of Australia.
Despite the fiasco, Tiley says Djokovic bears no hard feelings towards him.
“It’s funny, I’ve spoken to Novak a few times. We caught up and spent some time together in London and he’s fine. Our relationship is fine,” Tiley said.
“He played the Laver Cup and it was really nice to be able to spend some private time with him.
“He understands the circumstances and everything but he’s got to work it out with the federal government. I’m confident they’ll reach some arrangement and hopefully it’s positive.
“But I don’t know that. That’s really between he and the feds. But the conditions have changed significantly from where they were a year ago and I’d like to have Novak here.
“I want to have all the best players in the world here.”
