"He saw an opportunity to get an exemption so he took it, and you cannot blame him for that"- Ons Jabeur on Novak Djokovic's visa controversy

Ons Jabeur recently weighed in on Novak Djokovic's visa controversy, pointing out that the Serb was granted a medical exemption before arriving in Melbourne and as such should not be blamed for the events that have unfolded in Australia.

Djokovic landed in Melbourne with a medical exemption but was detained at the airport and had his visa revoked by Border Force officials, who deemed he did not meet the requirements for unvaccinated entry.

The Serb, however, had his visa reinstated by Judge Anthony Kelly, who also ordered his immediate release from immigration detention, making him eligible to feature at the Australian Open.

Commenting on the issue, Ons Jabeur said she hoped Djokovic was not the victim of a political game. The Tunisian also pointed out that it was no surprise Djokovic did everything in his power to try and arrive in Melbourne, given the fact that he is chasing a record 21st Slam title.

“I hope it’s not political as people are saying. I feel like he’s going for a historical run this season, especially at the Australian Open, and he saw an opportunity to get an exemption so he took it, and you cannot blame him for that really," said Jabeur.

Novak Djokovic during a practice session ahead of the Austraian Open 2022

Jabeur also said people should respect Djokovic's stance on vaccinations and not try and force their opinions on the Serb.

“I feel like some players they blame him for coming, some players they don’t. I feel like we should respect his choice that he didn’t want to get vaccinated. If they didn’t want him to come, why did you give the exemption and everything? So, I feel like it’s tough what’s happening to him or to anybody; it’s a very, very tough situation. So, I don’t know. I have no idea," she added.

Tristan Schoolkate believes Novak Djokovic has a "good chance" of winning Australian Open 2022

In a recent interview with The West Australian, Tristan Schoolkate, who practiced with Novak Djokovic on Wednesday, declared that the 20-time Grand Slam champion has a "great chance" of lifting the Australian Open title this year.

“I think he was just happy to be out and about, and obviously he’s won the tournament a few times. So he’s happy to be out on court, on his home court you could almost say," Schoolkate said.

“He seemed to be hitting the ball pretty good. I think he’ll have a pretty good chance of winning the tournament as long as he can play and all that goes ahead,” added the Australian.

If allowed to compete, Novak Djokovic will attempt to win a record 10th Australian Open title this month.