Czech Voracova leaves Australia after being selected as Djokovic

Czech tennis player Renata Voracova has left Australia after her visa was canceled for health reasons, a government source said.

Voracova, 38, was held in the same detention center as Serbian Novak Djokovic, who was banned from entering the country because of his vaccination status just over a week before the Australian Open.

She boarded a plane from Melbourne late Saturday evening.

The player was in the same situation as Djokovic: not vaccinated against Covid, she had been granted an exemption from the anti-Covid rules in force in the country by the Australian Federation in order to be able to come and play the Australian Open which begins on January 17, after contracting the virus late last year.

But, like the Serbian world No.1, the authorities had refused him entry, considering that his ground for exemption did not meet the strict conditions for entry into the territory imposed as part of the fight against Covid-19. .

Reread: The problematic exemption of Novak Djokovic

What is a little surprising is that the Czech had already returned to Australian territory and had even played a match there, before seeing his visa finally canceled and being held in the same hotel as the Serbian for a few days. Unlike the world number one, she had indicated that she wanted to leave Australia as quickly as possible.

In an interview with the Czech dailies DNES and Sport on Friday, Voracova recounted her conditions of detention.

“I’m in a room and I can’t go anywhere,” said the doubles specialist. “I can only open my window a few inches. There are guards everywhere, including under my window, “said the player, who said” to feel a bit like in prison “.

Australian border police said in a statement on Saturday that a third person, an Australian Open official, was also under visa suspension and had also “voluntarily” left Australia.