Australian politician insults Stan Wawrinka, calls him 'flog of a tennis player'
An Australian politician insulted Stan Wawrinka on social media and rising Australian tennis star Andrew Harris jumped onto defence of the three-time Grand Slam champion.
Upon arriving to Melbourne and to his hotel room, Wawrinka tweeted a photo of his room along with hashtags suggesting that he was happy and grateful to be back to Melbourne.
Rule 1 of quarantine : no contact 🚷☕️🍳🥑✅🇦🇺🙏🏻 #day1 #happytobehere #grateful #readytowork pic.twitter.com/3kDSUCNb0e
— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) January 16, 2021
Victorians who were in Sydney, New South Wales, could not return to their homes, while a number of tennis players landed to Victoria with a negative COVID-19 test.
Liberal MP Tim Smith reacted to Wawrinka's tweet, saying: "For every Victorian currently in Sydney that is banned from returning home by Daniel Andrews, this obscene double standard, where this flog of a tennis player is allowed in, and our own people aren’t, must make so many Victorian families incandescent..."
Harris defended WawrinkaFor every Victorian currently in Sydney that is banned from returning home by Daniel Andrews, this obscene double standard, where this flog of a tennis player is allowed in, and our own people aren’t, must make so many Victorian families incandescent... https://t.co/rNdGhi3mVb
— Tim Smith MP (@TimSmithMP) January 17, 2021
Australian tennis player Harris was not a fan of the politician's comments, saying those were only for cheap political points.
"Of all the poor takes I have heard so far about the aus open, this one absolutely takes the cake Face with tears of joy come on scotchie, surely you can be more clever trying to earn political points??" Harris responded to Smith's tweet.
A number of others came to the defense of Wawrinka as well.
Journalist Josh Butler tweeted: "He says he's "happy to be here" and "grateful". Which bit specifically makes him a "flog"?"
Meanwhile, a Business Insider Australia editor @jrhennessy tweeted: "Point scoring on the Australian Open is just about the easiest political win in the country right now, and you’ve somehow fumbled it. Very impressive."
Author Dee Madigan responded to Smith: "Did you even read his tweet? Or is making a fool of yourself (again) something you enjoy?"
Journalist Darren Levin tweeted: "Tim - you know there’s a way to make this point without bullying someone who’s won 3 grand slams, is respecting the rules, and is widely regarded as one of the best blokes on the tour?"
Meanwhile, Twitter user @AustinDocherty tweeted: "What I think makes every Victorian incandescent is an outright flog like @TimSmithMP trying to point score at every moment. What happened to when will Victoria re-open? Who’s the fear mongering doomsday opportunist propagandist now?"
Wawrinka, a former world No. 3, claimed his maiden and lone Australian Open title in 2014.
Last year, Wawrinka made the Australian Open quarterfinal before losing to German Alexander Zverev.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3bMflka
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