Novak Djokovic: Australia cancels tennis player’s visa for the second time

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Immigration Minister Alex Hawk Novak Djokovic has revoked his Australian visa “for reasons of health and good order” and now faces deportation from the country just three days before the Australian Open kicks off.

The decision comes after the 34-year-old Serb successfully appealed an earlier attempt by Australia to revoke his visa.

In a statement on Friday, Hook said: “Today I exercised my power under Section 133c(3) of the Immigration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr. Novak Djokovic on grounds of health and order, on the understanding that it was available to the public. The interest in doing so.”

He added that the government was “strongly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic” and that it had “carefully considered” Djokovic’s case.

Under this part of the immigration law, Djokovic faces a three-year ban from Australia, unless he can indicate force majeure circumstances that would be in Australia’s best interest.

Djokovic’s lawyers are expected to appeal the latest decision in the Federal Circuit and Family Court, and it has been reported that he will be able to practice during the appeal. But time is running out for him to cancel the move, and the Australian Open is scheduled to start on Monday.

The world’s No. 1 jersey traveled to Melbourne last week to defend his title at the upcoming tournament. Although he was not vaccinated, he was approved to be exempt from the country’s coronavirus vaccination requirements by the state of Victoria and Tennis Australia prior to his trip.

However, the Australian Border Force refused to excuse him when he arrived in the country, prompting him to spend four nights in a hotel reservation before the decision was overturned.

The Australian Open champion, who had been hoping for a record 21st Grand Slam title at this year’s tournament, was included in the draw on Thursday. He is scheduled to play with his Serbian colleague Miomir Kekmanovic in the first round.

This saga has led to widespread outrage in Australia, a country that has suffered some of the world’s longest lockdowns and strictest border policies. About 83 per cent of Australians supported the government’s attempts to deport the tennis player, according to a recent poll conducted by the News Corp media group.

Anger about Djokovic intensified when it emerged that a mistake had been made on his travel permit. The world’s #1 shirt owner claimed he hadn’t traveled in the two weeks leading up to his trip to Australia, but social media photos appeared to show otherwise.

Djokovic also admitted that he attended an interview with L’Equipe with full knowledge that he had tested positive for Covid-19 the day before.

Last week, his family celebrated his successful court appeal against deportation in a press conference broadcast around the world. His mother denounced the “torture” of her son at the hands of Australian border officials while his father hailed the court’s victory as a victory for supporters of “freedom of speech and behaviour”.

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