"Djokovic knew the rules" Nadal short on sympathy for World No.1

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Melbourne, Jan 6: Rafa Nadal appeared to be short on sympathy for Novak Djokovic on Thursday as he shared his thoughts on his great rival's current plight.

Djokovic's hopes of defending his Australian Open title were dealt a serious blow on Wednesday when he had his visa revoked on arrival in Melbourne. The 34 year-old world number one is currently being held in a government detention hotel and his deportation has been delayed until Monday.

The 20-time major winner has consistently refused to confirm his vaccine status, but had obtained a medical exemption to play in Australia. This caused widespread anger in Australia, where the population has had to endure some of the world's strictest restrictions during the pandemic.

"If he wanted, he would be playing here in Australia without a problem," Nadal said. "Everybody is free to take their own decisions, but then there are some consequences. In some way, I feel sorry for him. But at the same time, he knew the conditions since a lot of months ago."