Thiem blasts Serena 'bad personality' in Roland Garros press conference row
Dave James - Agence France Presse
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Paris (AFP) - Dominic Thiem has accused Serena Williams of having a "bad personality" as the bizarre row over him being booted out of his own press conference so that Roland Garros organisers could accommodate the American superstar instead took another twist.
Austria's Thiem, the fourth seed in the men's event and the 2018 runner-up, was conducting his post-match press obligations after reaching the last 16 late on Saturday.
However, he was then informed that the main interview room was needed by Williams who had just suffered a third round loss to Sofia Kenin.
It was the 23-time Grand Slam title winner's earliest exit at a Slam in almost five years and she was eager to be away from the tournament site as quickly as possible.
"It is just the principle," Thiem told Eurosport German.
"Even if a junior is in there, every player has to wait."
He added: "It also shows a bad personality in my opinion. I am 100 percent sure (Roger) Federer or (Rafael) Nadal would never do something like that."
There was no indication as to who had decided to shift Thiem mid-flow on Saturday night.
"It's a joke," fumed the 25-year-old Thiem to media officers after being told he should finish his interviews in a smaller room.
"I have to leave the room because she's coming. What the hell, I don't care. I can also do whatever I want."
Roger Federer, meanwhile, leapt to the defence of Thiem, describing him as "a superstar, a male superstar".
"I think the one who is still in the tournament gets priority, that's how I see it," said Federer after easing past Leonardo Mayer on Sunday to reach his 54th quarter-final at the majors.
"There must have been a misunderstanding or maybe they should have kept Serena still in the locker room, not waiting here in the press centre.
"I don't know exactly what happened. I understand Dominic's frustration. I don't think he's mad at Serena or anybody. I just think it was an unfortunate situation."
Former German great Boris Becker also said Thiem was in the right to object to his eviction.
"If he is giving an interview, and his press conference isn't finished, then everybody else has to wait, including Serena Williams," Becker told Eurosport on Monday.
"It was unfortunate for the organisers to put both players in that situation and they should know that if Dominic is doing his press conference then when he's finished it's Serena's turn.
"It was an awkward situation."
French sports daily L'Equipe claimed that Williams had shown no preference over where she carried out her press conference.
"Put me in another room, a smaller one, but now," she was reported to have said.
With Williams reportedly becoming increasingly impatient, officials looked to rescue the situation by moving Thiem to another room.
"That's really impolite," she was heard to say.
Thiem will be back on press conference duty on Monday as he is scheduled to face home hope Gael Monfils for a place in the quarter-finals.
Novak Djokovic denied entry into Australia after visa mishap, facing deportation
By Paulina Dedaj | Fox News
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Novak Djokovic will not defend his title at the Australian Open this month after he was denied entry into the country on Thursday over an issue with his visa, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison released a statement on Twitter announcing that top-ranked tennis pro will no longer be granted entry into the country just days after receiving a medical exemption that would have allowed him to participate in the Grand Slam tournament.
"Mr Djokovic’s visa has been canceled," the statement read. "Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders. No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant."
The Australian Border Forces also released a statement stating that Djokovic did not provide the "appropriate evidence" to meet the government’s entry requirements, resulting in his visa being canceled.
"Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa canceled will be detained and removed from Australia," the statement read, via The Age.
According to the New York Times, Djokovic was held for 12-hours and fielded questions from government officials about the evidence supporting his medical exemption and the "validity" of his visa. Australian media reported earlier that Djokovic’s team had applied for the wrong type of visa for a person with a medical exemption.
Sources close to the tournament told Reuters that Djokovic would be deported but that he was filing an injunction to prevent it. A source also told the outlet that three other players that already arrived used the same type of visa.
Djokovic arrived at Melbourne's Tullamarine airport just before midnight local time on Wednesday. His father, Srdjan Djokovic, told a local Serbian outlet that the tennis pro was being held in a guarded room.
"Novak is currently in a room which no one can enter," he said, via The Associated Press. "In front of the room are two policemen."
Victoria state’s acting minister for sports said on Twitter Wednesday that they would not "support" Djokovic’s visa after being asked by the federal government.
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"We will not be providing Novak Djokovic with individual visa application support to participate in the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam," she wrote. "We’ve always been clear on two points: visa approvals are a matter for the Federal Government, and medical exemptions are a matter for doctors."
Tournament officials have defended the process, saying Djokovic received no special treatment in being granted the exemption.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.