Outcry as Australia bars Djokovic over vaccination status

The saga, fuelled by domestic political point-scoring about the country’s handling of a record surge in new Covid-19 infections, has created an international incident with the Serbian president claiming harassment of its star player.

World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic was denied entry into Australia on Thursday amid a storm of protest about a decision to grant him a medical exemption from Covid-19 vaccination requirements to play in the Australian Open.