Australia on Thursday canceled the visa of tennis player Novak Djokovic who arrived at Melbourne airport without the necessary documents to enter the country. The latter lodged an appeal and obtained a stay of his deportation.
World tennis number one Novak Djokovic will not be deported from Australia until Monday, government lawyer Christopher Tran said on Thursday. The Serb, who arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday evening in the hope of participating in the Australian Open, has taken legal action against the cancellation of his visa. Mr Tran said during a hearing before a judge on Thursday that the government has no plans to deport the player until a new hearing scheduled for Monday.
Djokovic’s incredible trip “Down Under” sparked a diplomatic incident, with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accusing Australia of “mistreating” the champion.
Djokovic was all smiles to announce his departure for Melbourne on his Instagram account Tuesday. But the Serb, who had opposed compulsory vaccination and whose vaccination status is unknown, was finally disillusioned.
His visa was canceled, with Australian Customs explaining that “Mr. Djokovic did not provide the correct information to enter Australia” and that “foreign nationals who do not have a valid visa or whose visa has been canceled will be detained and deported from Australia “.
The fate reserved for “Djoko” has gone badly on the side of Serbia. Its president Aleksandar Vucic, claiming to have spoken to the world No.1 on the phone, wrote on Instagram that “all of Serbia was with him (Djokovic)” and that “the authorities were taking all necessary measures to ensure that the mistreatment of the best player world tennis tournament ceases as soon as possible “.
Silent on his vaccination status
Djokovic, silent on his vaccination status, was already in the crosshairs of the Australian political class since he announced that he had obtained a medical exemption to participate in the Australian Open (January 17-30).
If the evidence to support this waiver is “insufficient”, then Djokovic “will not be treated any differently from anyone else, and he will return home by the first plane,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned.
Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley, also director of the first Grand Slam of the year, however claimed that the world No.1 was not given any preferential treatment to obtain the waiver, in a supervised process. by the Australian authorities and those of the State of Victoria.
A total of 26 players or members of their staff, out of the 3,000 expected in Australia, have requested an exemption and only a few of them have obtained it, he revealed. According to Mr. Tiley, the two commissions responsible for examining exemption requests do so without knowing the identity of the applicants.
Already winner of 20 Grand Slams, like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic was aiming for a record 21st title in Melbourne. The Australian Open is his favorite tournament: it is in Melbourne that the Serbian won his first Grand Slam (2008), and no player has won there as much as him (nine wins).
For months, “Nole” had cast doubt on his participation in the first Grand Slam of the year, due to the obligation for players to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to enter Australia.
Djokovic spoke in April 2020 against compulsory vaccination, then considered to allow the resumption of tournaments. “Personally, I am not for vaccines. I would not like someone forcing me to be vaccinated to travel,” he said at the time.
He finally announced Tuesday that he had obtained a medical exemption allowing him to make the trip to Australia. The country’s regulations provide for this type of exemption in five specific cases (having contracted the Covid in the previous six months, serious medical contraindication …) but the federation, invoking medical confidentiality, refused to say which applied to Djokovic.
Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic posted on Instagram a photo of him and other members of his staff waiting at the airport while the player was questioned by immigration services.
“It’s not the most ordinary trip Down Under,” commented the former Wimbledon champion.
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