"Good thing Novak Djokovic is still alive, else he'd be turning in his grave" - Tennis fans remind Australia about the Serb's eviction as COVID +ve Australian cricketer is allowed to play

Sunday evening saw the tennis and cricket worlds collide, with Novak Djokovic's fans calling out the inclusion of Australian all-rounder Tahlia McGrath in the playing eleven despite testing positive for COVID-19.

Australia and India locked horns for the gold medal in the inaugural Commonwealth Games women’s cricket final at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. Although Australia were successful as they defeated India by nine runs, the controversy escalated on social media.

A day before the 2022 Australian Open kicked off, unvaccinated Novak Djokovic was deported from the country after the authorities canceled his visa. The defending champion was going for his 21st Grand Slam crown and 10th title Down Under.

Since then, the Serb has stated multiple times that he will not get the COVID-19 vaccine, even if he was to forego the most coveted trophies in tennis. According to the 35-year-old, every individual must be free to choose what to put in their body.

McGrath was experiencing symptoms but was still allowed to play in the final. Fans were quick to come forward in support of Djokovic, accusing the Aussies of "double standards."

"Australia didn't allow Djokovic to participate in the Australian Open because he was not vaccinated but an infected player was allowed to play. Talk about double standards," a fan tweeted.

"Stopping Djokovic for not vaccinating himself while allowing Covid +ve players to play. Some will call it hypocrisy, but actually it's hierarchy, they think that they make the rules of the game and everyone will obey them blindly," a user posted.

"So Australia can deny Djokovic from playing in the Australian Open for not being vaccinated, but will allow a Covid +ve person to play a cricket match? And what is the point of testing if a Covid positive person can still play," another tweet read.

Here are a few more reactions:

---

Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Canadian Open last week

Novak Djokovic is likely to miss the 2022 US Open

Novak Djokovic, who was an automatic entrant in the National Bank Open due to his ranking, officially withdrew from the Masters 1000 event last week. The tournament begins on Monday and the Serb's decision was expected since neither Canada nor the US is allowing foreign travelers to enter without proof of vaccination.

The World No. 6 has won the tournament four times in the past. Unless there is a change in the rules in the US, Djokovic is set to miss the US Open, his second Grand Slam event of the year.