Tennis star Novak Djokovic has previously been critical of vaccination demands and has refused to say whether he has been vaccinated.

Now the organizer of the Australian Open has confirmed that he can still play, despite demands that all players, leaders and fans who participate must be vaccinated.

"Djokovic applied for a medical exemption, which has been granted after a rigorous review process involving two separate panels of medical experts," the statement said.

"No one has received special treatment"

The decision was made at government level in the Australian state of Victoria and reasons for such exceptions may be that you have a serious emergency medical condition, severe reactions due to covid vaccine or evidence that you have had a covid infection during the past six months.

All applications for exemptions must have been anonymised and it is unclear on what grounds Novak Djokovic was granted, reports AP.

- Many of Victoria's residents will find this result disappointing, but a process is a process.

No one has received any special treatment, says the state's sports minister Jaala Pulford according to the news agency.

Criticism of the decision

After the announcement, several voices have been raised that question and are critical of Djokovic coming into play.

- I do not know what to say about it, but I think that if it had been me who was unvaccinated, I would not have received an exception, says British tennis player Jamie Murray during the ATP Cup in Sydney according to Reuters.

Australian colleague Alex De Minaur also raises his eyebrows.

- I just think it's very interesting, that's all I'm going to say, he says.

Former Australian footballer Corey McKernan shared his criticism on Twitter.

“People with loved ones who die / need emergency care cannot enter their own states.

You tell people that they can not go to the store or a café without being vaccinated, but if you are world number one, is it okay?

It's a fucking shame. ", He writes.

Djokovic, who already has nine titles in the Australian Open, gets the chance to add a tenth when the tournament kicks off on January 17.

MORE TENNIS: "Consistently she was the problem" (November 8, 2021)

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Amélie Mauresmo and Andy Murray.

Photo: Bildbyrån / SVT