Grand Slam tennis great Rafa Nadal on Thursday voiced a strong and unsympathetic response to the Novak Djokovic visa saga.

The Serbian and world No. 1 spent his first night in Australia being interrogated by order officials at the airport, after which he was transferred to a quarantine hotel where he now awaits his visa appeal hearing due to take place on Monday.

But while the Serbian has been crying political shenanigans, Nadal seemed to view the situation in a different and much simpler light. According to the sporting great, Djokovic had been made fully aware of everything required of any player hoping to compete in the 2022 Australian Open. He said Djokovic had been aware of the vaccination requirements for many months.

Nadal added that while he did not know all the facts involved in the matter, it has remained clear that the best way to proceed forward is to be vaccinated. He said the world of tennis and the world in general had to his mind “suffered enough” for people to not follow the rules as prescribed by medical experts.

When asked whether he felt sorry for his rival for the unfortunate situation, the Spaniard responded that every decision comes with a set of consequences. He said if Djokovic had really wanted to compete in the tournament, he would have ensured that he met all the requirements before his arrival in Australia.

The Serb will remain in Melbourne pending the outcome of Monday’s appeal.

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