"There's a lot of finger pointing going on and a lot of blaming going on, but I can assure you our team has done an unbelievable job and have done everything they possibly could according to all the instructions that they have been provided", he said.
Tiley said that Tennis Australia "empathises" with the ongoing situation and is "working closely" with Novak Djokovic and his team.
Prior to the statement, the organisation had avoided commenting on the issue, which has triggered a diplomatic scandal between Australia and Serbia.
What Happened?
According to the current rules in Australia, an unvaccinated person can only enter the country if they have a medical excuse for not getting a jab. The conditions include:
Djokovic, who is a 20-time Grand Slam winner and the longest-running number one in men’s tennis, received a medical exemption to participate in the Australian Open. It was given by two independent medical panels organised by Tennis Australia, which is hosting the tournament, and Victoria state, where the event is held.
However, the exemption was overturned by the federal government after the athlete arrived in Australia. His visa was cancelled, while the athlete himself was sent to an immigration detention hotel intended for refugees.
The move has angered Serbian authorities, who have accused Canberra of luring the athlete into the country "to be humiliated". Djokovic’s father said his son is a "prisoner of these idiots", while President Aleksandar Vucic called the tennis player a victim of "harassment".
"I am aware of representations that have been made by the embassy here in Canberra and I understand those, but my simple point is that all countries have their border rules and these rules are not imposed against any one country or any one individual. There is no suggestion of any particular position in relation to Serbia. In fact, Serbia has been a good friend of Australia and provided very strong support, particularly on security issues globally, and we greatly appreciate that. This is a very specific case that deals with one individual and Australia’s sovereign border laws and their fair application", PM Morrison said.
Did Tennis Australia Mislead Players?
"The treatment of players who fall within one of these categories goes to the heart of the viability of the Australian Open", Tiley wrote to the ATAGI.
"Apparently the Australian Tennis Association has misled us, which is annoying. I wanted to focus on tennis, not visas, quarantine. It’s really weird that I spent a week here, played a match ... And then they came for me", Renata Voracova said.