Australian Open draw 'cancelled' then rescheduled due to Novak Djokovic prank

Novak Djokovic caused the 2022 Australian Open draw to be postponed 12 months ago as the vaccine farce that affected his entire year spilled over into Melbourne. The Serb believed he had a medical exemption to play in the tournament and amid a high-profile legal battle, uncertainty over his eligibility to compete rumbled into the start of the competition.

Djokovic is still not vaccinated against COVID-19 and only Australia's more lenient restrictions allow him to play at the 2023 Australian Open this month. It was first thought that he could be barred from the country for another three years after being deported.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion's vaccination status wreaked havoc last year and forced the draw to be postponed until it was confirmed he could not play. Tennis Australia originally planned to hold the draw at 3pm local time on January 13, but it was postponed until later in the day.

In bizarre scenes, with the live stream already underway, reported that the draw has been "cancelled until further notice". The stream of the draw, which had started just after 3 p.m., was cut.

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The publication had asked a steward to clarify that the draw would go ahead as planned just two minutes before it was postponed. It was initially unclear why the event was cut short so suddenly, but it was later reported by the that it was moved to 4:15 p.m. as Djokovic's status was unknown.

Tournament rules stated that Djokovic would be replaced by someone who lost in qualifying if he retired after the day one order of play was published. If he retired during the tournament, his opponent would be forfeited and would advance in the bracket.

Then ranked number 1 in the world, Djokovic believed he had a valid medical exemption to enter Australia. However, his visa was refused and revoked following a long legal back and forth which also saw him detained in an immigration centre.

Scott Morrison, then prime minister, slammed the Serb, accusing him of breaking the country's border rules. Morrison, who lost the top job following a disappointing election defeat a few months later, told reporters: “Either you have to be vaccinated or you have to have a valid medical exemption and show proof of it. It's as simple as that."

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Home Secretary Karen Andrews added...