Stefanos Tsitsipas (L) and Novak Djokovic. Photos / Photosport
Stefanos Tsitsipas (L) and Novak Djokovic. Photos / Photosport
World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas has taken aim at Novak Djokovic over his visa saga, saying the world No. 1 has made a majority of players "look like fools" for following the rules.
Djokovic's saga is set to drag on into Friday as the Australian government has still not yet made a decision over whether it will deport the tennis star.
While the Serbian star's visa cancellation was overturned in Federal Circuit Court on Monday, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has the final say on whether Djokovic will be allowed to stay.
But as the world awaits a decision on whether Djokovic would be able to compete for his 10th Australian Open title, the man he beat in last year's French Open final has slammed the Serbian.
Tsitsipas, who ERT TV reported had been jabbed with the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, was a player who had been vaccine hesitant in the past.
But while Tsitsipas got jabbed because it was "necessary for me to be in Australia", Tsitsipas slammed the World No. 1 for wanting special treatment.
"The stats say 98 per cent of players have been vaccinated and did what they had to do in order to come and perform and play in Australia," Tsitsipas told Indian network WIO News.
"One side of it is, yeah we've all followed the protocols in order to compete in Australia, we've been very disciplined in that part.
"The other side, I'd say that it kind of seems like not everyone is playing by the rules of how Tennis Australia and the government have been putting things.
"A very small group chose to follow their own way and it kind of makes the majority look like they're all fools or something."
Stefanos Tsitsipas (L) and Novak Djokovic. Photos / Photosport
The ATP said 97 per cent of the top 100 players have been vaccinated in a statement earlier this week.
Tsitsipas said Djokovic's stance took "a lot of daring".
"For sure he has been playing by his own rules and has been doing something that not many players had the guts to go and do, especially after the ATP announced certain criteria for players to enter the country," he said.
"No one would have really thought I could come to Australia unvaccinated and not having to follow the protocols that they gave me, which takes a lot of daring to do, and putting a Grand Slam at risk. I don't think many players could do that.
"I chose to go and be 100 per cent ready for whatever was to come and not having to think about anything else.
"For me, it worked one way, for Novak, it worked another way. That doesn't really mean that my way is the right one and his way is the wrong one, it's just each person's perception about it."
Tsitsipas was in a similar situation to Djokovic but appears to have only got vaccinated in order to continue on the tour.
In August, Reuters reported Tsitsipas said he would only get the vaccine if it was mandatory to compete in tennis.
"No one has told me anything. No one has made it a mandatory thing to be vaccinated," he told reporters in the US.
"At some point I will have to, I'm pretty sure about it, but so far it hasn't been mandatory to compete, so I haven't done it, no."
The New York Times has reported that Djokovic may run into more hurdles as the season continues.
In March the ATP Tour moves to the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami and the US "now requires that visitors be fully vaccinated to travel to the country by plane unless they are U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents or travelling on a US immigrant visa", the report said.
French sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu has already said she expects Djokovic to be able to play unvaccinated.
But it's hard to tell the toll this saga will take on Djokovic.
Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge told Nine "it's very, very visible that it's taking a toll on him.
"He said, 'I like a challenge, and this is just going to be another challenge'. You've got to think that when he goes into his matches, the energy that he's spent even before he hits round one is enormous."
