The 34-year-old has not publicly disclosed his vaccination status, but Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a news conference on Thursday that Djokovic “had no valid medical exemption” from the vaccination requirement for arrivals.
Djokovic’s legal team has filed for an urgent court order against the Australian border forces’ decision to revoke his visa. The country’s federal court has adjourned the decision to Monday over whether he should remain in Australia or be deported, according to Reuters and public broadcaster ABC.
“He has made his own decisions and everyone is free to make their own decisions, but then there are some consequences,” Nadal, who won his first singles match since August, told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.
“Of course I don’t like the situation. Somehow I feel sorry for him. But at the same time, he knew the circumstances months ago, so he makes his own decision.”
If Djokovic, nine-time Australian Open champion, were unable to compete, it would increase Nadal’s chances of winning a record 21st Grand Slam title.
Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, second and third respectively in the men’s standings behind Djokovic, are also among the favorites to win in Melbourne.
“It seems like a difficult situation, but at the end of the day I can only say that we are going through very challenging [times] and many families have suffered greatly from the pandemic over the past two years,” said Nadal.
He added: “It’s normal for people here in Australia to get very frustrated with the… [Djokovic] because they went through a lot of hard lockdowns and a lot of people couldn’t go home.
“From my point of view, that’s all I can say, I believe in what the people who know medicine say, and if the people say we need to be vaccinated, we should get the vaccine.”
Nadal defeated Ricardas Berankis 6-2 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Summer Set, a warm-up tournament prior to the Australian Open, on Thursday.
“I felt so tired and I had a fever,” said Nadal, who has been vaccinated twice, about contracting the virus.
“I had to lie in bed for a few days without being able to move much because I was very sick with a fever and one of the worst flu symptoms I’ve had in my life.”
Nadal is also competing in the doubles of the Melbourne Summer Set this week, and will face Tallon Greekpoor in the competition’s singles draw next Friday.
The Australian Open starts on January 17 and the men’s final takes place on January 30.
DailyExpertNews’s AnneClaire Stapleton and Jessie Yeung contributed to the coverage.