CBS correspondent praises Australia's COVID-19 rules following Novak Djokovic controversy

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In media news today, an MSNBC reporter warns that Republicans in state legislature are passing voting laws that make 'January 6 every day,’ a CNN medical guest says that companies should not treat the unvaccinated and vaccinated as equal, and a White House reporter asks Jen Psaki why Biden hasn’t ‘focused more on scolding the unvaccinated.’

CBS correspondent Vladimir Duthiers praised Australia following Novak Djokovic's apparent failed attempt to defend his Australian Open title after declining to provide his COVID-19 vaccination status, a saga which has gripped the sports world.

Djokovic's quest for back-to-back championships was questionable for months after the No. 1 player in the world declined to provide his vaccine status to the tournament. But a beaming Djokovic announced to his fans on Tuesday that he had been given a medical exemption from the vaccine requirement, and he would be heading down under after all. 

It turned out to be a short-lived celebration. Just a day after Djokovic's smiling Instagram post, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison released a statement saying they had encountered a problem with the athlete's visa; it had been "canceled" and he would be sent home. Australian Border Forces released its own statement that Djokovic did not provide the "appropriate evidence" to meet the government’s entry requirements.

FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic holds the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after defeating Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Dadswell, File)

NOVAK DJOKOVIC DENIED ENTRY INTO AUSTRALIA AFTER VISA MISHAP, FACING DEPORTATION

Djokovic's fans were furious. But others, like CBS's Vladimir Duthiers, suggested Australian officials had done the right thing, and patted them on the back for such stringent measures. 

"Australia has done very, very well in vaccines and in keeping people safe, so that's why they're doing it," Duthiers said on "CBS Mornings," saying the federal government must have seen something that tennis Australia did not.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC’S ENTRY TO AUSTRALIA DELAYED OVER VIS MISHAP, BEING HELD IN GUARDED ROOM

Duthiers's colleague Gayle King, who noted Djokovic has never wanted to reveal either his vaccine status or the reasoning behind his medical exemption, said she was "surprised" Djokovic would "even want to play" at the tournament at all knowing "there's this big controversy."

Australia has had some of the strictest lockdowns in the world throughout the pandemic. The country's "COVID zero" policy in part prevented international arrivals, closed state borders, and enforced city and state-wide lockdowns, sometimes even after just one reported COVID-19 case.

Morrison eventually announced an end to the policy in August after saying it was not "sustainable."

FILE - Feb. 21, 2021, file photo Serbia's Novak Djokovic holds the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after defeating Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia. Players who haven't received a COVID-19 vaccination are unlikely to get a visa to enter the country for the Australian Open next January, according to the political leader of the state which hosts the season-opening major. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair, File) ((AP Photo/Hamish Blair, File))

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Djokovic's situation has torn the tennis world. Tennys Sandgren, an American tennis player who is unvaccinated, defended him. 

"Just to be crystal clear here, 2 separate medical boards approved his exemption And politicians are stopping it Australia doesn’t deserve to host a grand slam," Sandgren tweeted.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 22: Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison speaks to Qantas employees at the Qantas Jetbase on October 22, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images) (James D. Morgan/Getty Images)

World No. 6 and fellow Grand Slam title winner Rafael Nadal, however, said rules are rules.

"If you are vaccinated you can play," Nadal told press Thursday.

Fox News's Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.