Defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic trains at Margaret Court Arena ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, on January 13, 2022.
Mark Baker / AP
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Mark Baker / AP
Defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic trains at Margaret Court Arena ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, on January 13, 2022.
Mark Baker / AP
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Novak Djokovic faces deportation again after the Australian government revoked his visa for a second time, the latest twist in an ongoing story about whether the No. be allowed to compete in the Australian Open. despite not being immunized against COVID-19.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said on Friday he had used his right to cancel the 34-year-old Serb’s visa for reasons of public interest – just three days before the match kicks off at the Australian Open. , where Djokovic has won a record nine of his 20 Grand Slam titles. .
Djokovic’s attorneys are expected to appeal in Federal Circuit and Family Court, which they successfully did last week on a procedural basis after his visa was canceled for the first time. when he landed at Melbourne airport.
Deportation from Australia usually results in a three-year ban from returning to the country. That makes Djokovic the next 37 times will be allowed to compete in the Australian Open.
Hawke said he had canceled the visa for “good health and good standing, on the basis that it was in the public interest.” His statement added that Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government is “resolutely committed to protecting Australia’s borders, especially in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Morrison welcomed Djokovic’s pending deportation, saying Australia had achieved one of the pandemic-induced death rates, strongest economies and highest vaccination rates in the world.
Morrison said in the statement. “This is what the Minister is doing in this action today.”
Everyone at the Australian Open – including the players, their support team and spectators – is required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Djokovic is unvaccinated and applied for a medical exemption on the grounds that he contracted COVID-19 in December.
That exemption has been approved by the Victorian and Tennis Australia state governments, apparently allowing him to obtain a visa to travel. But the Australian Border Force denied his waiver and canceled his visa when he landed in Melbourne on January 5.
Djokovic spent four nights in an immigration detention hotel before a judge overturned the decision on Monday. That ruling allows Djokovic to move freely around Australia and he has been training at Melbourne Park to prepare to compete in a tournament he has won for the past three years.
Djokovic has held daily practice sessions since he was released from prison, posting a photo on social media late Monday of himself with teammates on the Rod Laver Arena.
He had scheduled mid-afternoon practice for Friday on the tournament’s main performance field, but moved the time to start and finish early.
Media began to gather at the vehicle’s entrance to the building where Djokovic was supposed to meet his lawyers after the minister’s decision was made.
With his legal situation still in limbo, Djokovic was placed in the group in Thursday’s draw, expected to face Miomir Kecmanovic in an all-Serbian match in the first round.
Melbourne-based immigration attorney Kian Bone said Djokovic’s lawyers faced an “incredibly difficult” task of getting a court order by the end of the week to allow their client to act. match next week.
Speaking hours before Hawke’s decision was announced, Bone said: “If you leave it later than now, I think from a strategic point of view, he’s really hindered Djokovic’s legal team, in terms of the kind of choice or remedy he can achieve.”
Djokovic’s attorneys will need to go before a judge in the Federal Circuit and Family Court, or a higher judge of the Federal Court, to receive the two emergency orders. An order would be an order preventing his deportation, such as what he won in court last week. The latter forced Hawke to issue a competition visa to Djokovic.
“The second order was almost unheard of,” says Bone. “It is very rare that a court requires a member of the executive government to issue a visa.”
Jacqui Lambie, an influential independent senator, argued that Djokovic should be sent to pack if he broke Australia’s vaccine rules. But hours before the cancellation was announced, she complained about how long it took Hawke to make a decision.
“Why does this keep dripping? Alex Hawke, where are you? Lack of action?” Lambie asked.
“If you can’t make a decision about Novak Djokovic, God tell me, how are you guys running the country? This is an absolute mess,” she added.
