What the ‘Djokovic Affair’ Revealed About Australia

<p>Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1 player in men’s tennis, had a lot at stake going into this year’s Australian Open. A win there would have made him the most decorated male tennis player in history. </p><p>But he arrived in the country without having had a Covid-19 vaccination, flying in the face of Australia’s rules, and after a court battle he was ultimately deported.</p><p>In Australia, the “Djokovic affair” has become about a lot more than athletes and vaccines — it has prompted conversations about the country’s aggressive border policy, isolationism and treatment of migrants. </p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/damien-cave?smid=pc-thedaily">Damien Cave</a>, the Australia bureau chief for The New York Times.</p><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Prime Minister Scott Morrison latched on to the Djokovic case. But with an election looming, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/11/world/australia/novak-djokovic-australia-border-scott-morrison.html?smid=pc-thedaily">it’s not clear that it was a political winner</a>.</li><li>Novak Djokovic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/16/world/australia/djokovic-deported.html?smid=pc-thedaily">lost his bid to stay in Australia</a> to a government determined to make him a symbol of unvaccinated celebrity entitlement; to an immigration law that gives godlike authority to border enforcement; and to a public outcry, in a nation of rule followers.</li></ul><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.</p>