Tennis world No1 Novak Djokovic was included in the Australian Open official draw on Thursday, although uncertainty remained about whether the government will cancel the top seed's visa for a second time.
There is widespread anger over the saga among Australians, who have a 90% vaccination rate among adults after enduring some of the world's longest lockdowns aimed at curbing the pandemic.
Crowds at the Open's main arenas will be capped at 50% capacity and masks will be mandatory for all spectators under updated Covid-19 restrictions announced on Thursday as authorities battle a surge of cases caused by the Omicron variant."It does seem that he's been telling a few fibs too. So I think he should just probably go back."
There may also be resentment in the dressing room, where all but three of the top 100 men are inoculated. Tennis great Martina Navratilova told Australian television Djokovic should"suck it up" and return home. "The bottom line is, sometimes your personal beliefs have to be trumped by what's good for the greater good, for those around you, for your peers," she told Seven's Sunrise programme.
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