• Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes a break during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open at the Melbourne Park tennis centre in Melbourne on January 12, 2022. AFP
    Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes a break during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open at the Melbourne Park tennis centre in Melbourne on January 12, 2022. AFP
  • Novak Djokovic and coach Goran Ivanisevic. EPA
    Novak Djokovic and coach Goran Ivanisevic. EPA
  • Defending men's champion Serbia's Novak Djokovic practices on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Australian Open, which begins on January 12. AP Photo
    Defending men's champion Serbia's Novak Djokovic practices on Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Australian Open, which begins on January 12. AP Photo
  • Serbia's Novak Djokovic practices on Rod Laver Arena. AP Photo
    Serbia's Novak Djokovic practices on Rod Laver Arena. AP Photo
  • Novak Djokovic of Serbia is watched by coach Goran Ivanisevic. AFP
    Novak Djokovic of Serbia is watched by coach Goran Ivanisevic. AFP
  • Novak Djokovic of Serbia is seen in action during a training session at Melbourne Park. EPA
    Novak Djokovic of Serbia is seen in action during a training session at Melbourne Park. EPA
  • Novak Djokovic hits a return during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open at the Melbourne Park tennis centre in Melbourne. AFP
    Novak Djokovic hits a return during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open at the Melbourne Park tennis centre in Melbourne. AFP
  • Novak Djokovic of Serbia. EPA
    Novak Djokovic of Serbia. EPA
  • Novak Djokovic hits a return. EPA
    Novak Djokovic hits a return. EPA
  • Novak Djokovic returns a backhand. EPA
    Novak Djokovic returns a backhand. EPA
  • Novak Djokovic, left, listens to his coach Goran Ivanisevic. AP Photo
    Novak Djokovic, left, listens to his coach Goran Ivanisevic. AP Photo
  • Novak Djokovic rests during a practice session on Rod Laver Arena. AP Photo
    Novak Djokovic rests during a practice session on Rod Laver Arena. AP Photo
  • Defending Australian Open men's champion Novak Djokovic. AP Photo
    Defending Australian Open men's champion Novak Djokovic. AP Photo
  • Serbia's Novak Djokovic takes a drink during a practice session on Rod Laver Arena. AP Photo
    Serbia's Novak Djokovic takes a drink during a practice session on Rod Laver Arena. AP Photo
  • Novak Djokovic of Serbia is seen during a training session at Melbourne Park. EPA
    Novak Djokovic of Serbia is seen during a training session at Melbourne Park. EPA
  • Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic practices at Melbourne Park as questions remain over the legal battle regarding his visa to play in the Australian Open in Melbourne. Reuters
    Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic practices at Melbourne Park as questions remain over the legal battle regarding his visa to play in the Australian Open in Melbourne. Reuters
  • Novak Djokovic of Serbia is seen during a practice session ahead of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Getty Images
    Novak Djokovic of Serbia is seen during a practice session ahead of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Getty Images

Novak Djokovic timeline: How the Australian Open Covid drama has played out


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Novak Djokovic, the world No 1, has been fighting to be allowed to play in the Australian Open as arguments rage over the vaccine exemption that would have permitted him to enter.

As it stands, the nine-time Australian champion will be allowed to compete for a record 21st Grand Slam title when the event starts next week.

But the Australian immigration department could still overrule previous decisions, and Djokovic could still be deported.

Here's how the drama has unfolded so far:

December 16: Djokovic takes a PCR test. which turned out to be positive.

December 17: Attends an indoor event for his children's charity, and takes part in a panel discussion at Belgrade's Novak Tennis Centre. Tweets pictures of being given his own postage stamp

December 18: Attends an interview with French sports newspaper L'Equipe.

December 25: Pictured in Serbian capital Belgrade

December 31: Trains at the Puente Romano tennis and beach resort in southern Spain.

January 4: Djokovic announces he will defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption from getting vaccinated against Covid-19. The 20-time Grand Slam champion posts a photo of himself at the airport to confirm he is travelling Down Under.

January 5: The Australian Border Force announce Djokovic has been denied entry to the country after the player was forced to wait for several hours at Melbourne airport over visa issues. Taken to a quarantine hotel in Melbourne.

January 7: Djokovic breaks his silence from quarantine hotel to say he “greatly appreciates” the support offered to him by fans. In a series of fiery remarks, his father Srdjan Djokovic tells a crowd in Belgrade that his son is the victim of a "political witch hunt" and "corona fascism" and should be freed.

January 8: Djokovic's legal team says their challenge to the Australian government's decision to cancel his visa is based on the fact he recently recovered from Covid-19, maintaining this allowed him to qualify for a medical exemption from the country's vaccination rules.

January 10: An Australian court orders the immediate release of Djokovic from immigration detention. Judge Anthony Kelly quashed the cancellation of the star's visa for not meeting Covid-19 entry requirements and ordered the government to pay legal costs. Djokovic said he is "grateful" to the judge.

January 11: Djokovic investigated over whether he falsely stated he had not travelled and would not do so in the two weeks prior to his flight to Australia. Australian Open organisers install World No 1 as the top seed for the first Grand Slam of the season. Filmed taking part in a practice session at Melbourne Park.

January 12: Djokovic seeks to clarify how mistakes were made on the immigration document he submitted on his arrival in Melbourne, explaining why he was not in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19 in December and his agent made a mistake in filling out his Australian travel declaration. He also admitted breaching isolation rules after testing positive for Covid-19 in December, saying it was an "error of judgement".

January 13: Despite arguments continuing, Djokovic is included in the draw for the first round of the Australian Open, and is paired with fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic.

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

RESULTS

Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)

Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)

Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)

Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)

Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)

Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)

Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)

Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)

Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)

Updated: January 13, 2022, 5:53 AM