Lacoste Novak Djokovic’s assistants’ ‘re-evaluate the situation’ around deportation to Australia

Novak’s senior assistant Djokovic Lacoste has said he wants to “reconsider” what led to the tennis players being expelled from Australia, and show what can happen to athletes who remain uninvited with the Covid-19 vaccine.

“Soon, we will be in touch with Novak Djokovic to review the events that have accompanied his presence in Australia,” Lacoste said on Monday.

Lacoste, a member of the Swiss MF Brands, signed a multi-year contract with Djokovic as an armchair supplier in 2017. According to Forbes, the average male worldwide earns $ 30m a year from grants.

The comments come after Djokovic, who refused to accept the Covid-19 vaccine, said he was “deeply disappointed” that Australian courts had decided to comply with a government ban on his visa. The ruling means they will not be able to compete in the Australian Open this month.

Djokovic entered Australia and was not allowed to receive the vaccine but his first visa was revoked. He tried to stay in the country to compete in the 21st grand slam but his case was unsuccessful. He has now been deported and is back in Serbia.

Djokovic’s criticism of the official Covid-19 vaccine illustrates the problem facing game developers, which should examine how athletes react when they oppose popular methods such as vaccination.

Participation in the French Open, a major follow-up on the tennis calendar, is also questionable after Roxana Maracineanu, France’s sports minister, said observers, staff and athletes needed to show vaccination to enter stadiums with other people. place. The competition in Paris is set to begin in May.

Other Djokovic sponsors include Peugeot carmaker, Hublot high-end watchmaker and Austrian lender Raiffeisen Bank International.

Raiffeisen, who joined Djokovic in April last year, said his “high profile in central and eastern Europe” was his goal in a multi-year partnership and spoke of his “cultural commitment”.

But it added that the agreement was based on “pre-existing Novak Djokovic reports and its Covid-19 vaccine, or participation in the Australian Open”.

“Novak Djokovic is his. We can not comment on any of his decisions,” Hublot told the Financial Times.

Lacoste, founded by two tennis players in 1933, thanked the organizers of the Australian Open for “all their efforts to make the tournament a better place for players, staff and spectators”.

Djokovic began protesting against the official Covid-19 vaccine in 2020.