"Bunch of hypocrites denying entry to Novak and then this" - Novak Djokovic fans angered by Australia allowing COVID-positive players to participate in T20 Cricket World Cup

With around three months remaining before the start of the 2023 Australian Open, there's still no clear decision on whether Novak Djokovic will be allowed to participate.

After multiple court hearings in January ahead of the 2022 Australian Open, Djokovic was deported from the country due to his unvaccinated status against the coronavirus. A few days later, the 35-year-old asserted that he would not get the jab even if it meant letting go of big tournaments and titles.

But the events at the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which kicked off yesterday in Australia, has brought Djokovic's situation into the spotlight again. A piece of news that has made tennis fans - particularly those in Djokovic's corner - angry is that the ICC is allowing cricketers to play even if they test positive for COVID.

In a recent report, it was made clear that there would be no mandatory testing during the T20 World Cup, and that if a player was found infected with the virus it would be up to the team's doctor to decide whether to allow the player to continue or to isolate him. Not surprisingly, tennis fans took to Twitter to call out the Australian authorities for banning Djokovic earlier this year but allowing COVID-positive players to play the World Cup, with many claiming that Djokovic is among the healthiest people in the world.

They also stated that it would be a joke if the Serb wasn't allowed to play the next edition of the Australian Open.

"This is happening in Australia. Tennis Australia and Australia as a country itself will be a big joke if they ban Djokovic from playing AO now. Seriously don't understand how Australian people don't see this BS. This just verifies that in 2022, he was deliberately thwarted," a fan tweeted.

"As things stand today: An unvaccinated player can play AO. A covid positive player can play AO (allowed to play in T20 Cricket World Cup in Australia). The Czech tennis player who was banned for 3 years along with Djokovic can play AO. But the Serb cannot play AO," a user posted.

"This is happening in Australia, right? It'll make no sense if Novak is disallowed from playing at the AO," another tweet read.

Here are some more reactions:

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"Novak Djokovic and the federal government need to work out the situation" - Craig Tiley

Novak Djokovic at the 2022 Laver Cup

Speaking to the press recently, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley stated that they were ready to welcome Novak Djokovic next year if the government revoked his three-year ban. When the Serb was deported for being unvaccinated against COVID-19, he was instructed not to enter the country until 2025. But with a recent change in the government, the ban is expected to be lifted.

"At this point, Novak and the federal government need to work out the situation and then we'll follow any instruction after that," Tiley said. "It's not a matter we can lobby on. It's a matter that definitely stays between the two of them and then depending on the outcome of that, we would welcome him to the Australian Open."