Novak Djokovic prepares vaccine exemption for Australian visa settlement Tennis news

MELBOURNE: Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic prepared his legal guns for battle on Sunday to stay in Melbourne and defend his Australian Open championship, claiming he was clear about a positive coronavirus test in December.
Djokovic’s fight to overturn the shocking revocation of his visa and the subsequent arrest at the infamous Melbourne Immigration Center will culminate in an online trial in federal court on Monday.
A Serbian star on vaccines awaited a showdown at the former Park Hotel, a five-story building with about 32 migrants trapped in Australia’s hard-line immigration system – for a few years.

No one can get in or out except the staff.
A handful of protesters gathered on the street on Sunday morning, where hundreds of fans, anti-vaccination protesters and migrant rights activists had gathered in a festive mood the day before.
With eight days left until the start of the Australian Open on January 17, any delay could destroy the 34-year-old’s hope of winning his 10th crown in Melbourne and his record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title.

Novak Djokovic (AFP photo)
In an order given to the public on Sunday, Judge Anthony Kelly said the case was proceeding according to schedule on Monday at 10 a.m. (2300 GMT on Sunday), refusing the government’s request to postpone the matter until Wednesday.
Djokovic’s lawyers sent a 35-page document on Saturday in which he claimed his visa had been wrongly revoked and should be returned so he could compete.
The team has claimed that Djokovic’s positive PCR test on December 16, 2021 means he meets the criteria for vaccine exemption under the guidance of Australia’s own vaccination advisory body.

Tennis Australia granted him an exception to play in the tournament after two independent medical panels approved his application, his lawyers said.
However, the Australian government is demanding that the recent coronary virus infection be counted only as a release for residents, not for foreigners trying to enter.
Foreigners still have a ban on traveling to Australia for the most part, and those admitted must be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption.

AFP photo
Despite Djokovic’s claim of a positive test on December 16, in images shared by the Belgrade Tennis Association, Djokovic was featured at an event for young players in the city on December 17.
It said he had handed over cups and prizes to the best young players. No one wore a mask.
Djokovic had also attended the second meeting on December 16, when the Serbian National Post issued a series of stamps in his honor.
“Thank you to my generous country for this rare gift! I’m humble !!” he said on Instagram at the time.
In his tennis match, lawyers claim he was subjected to “unfair treatment”, claiming he was held for eight hours at Melbourne airport by Australian border agents, mostly “incommunicado”.
Djokovic had asked for a rest period and to negotiate with his lawyers, but the border authorities successfully pressured him to allow them to make an immediate decision and revoke the visa, they said.
After he was transferred to the Park Hotel Detention Center, his request to transfer him to another facility where he can practice for the Australian Open is on deaf ears, lawyers said.
The center holding him gained fame last year when a fire forced the migrants to evacuate and larvae were found in the food.
Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said over the weekend that Serbia was completely behind the player and had had “constructive talks” with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
“We managed to get him gluten-free food, fitness equipment and a laptop,” he told Serbian Pink TV.
Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley said in an internal video leaked on Saturday that his organization had done “everything it could.”

AP photo
“There’s a lot … to blame, but I can assure you that our team has done an incredible job,” he said in a footage published in the Sunday Herald Sun.
The visa for another Australian open-air tennis player – Czech doubles expert Renata Voracova – was revoked after she was initially admitted to the country, her government has confirmed.
He flew out of Australia on Saturday night, an Australian government source said when he was held in the same center in Melbourne as Djokovic.
He described the experience to the Czech media as “a bit like in prison.”
Most of Australia tightened restrictions to fight a wave of infection caused by a variant of the Omicron virus, with the state of Victoria, the capital of Melbourne, reporting 44,155 cases on Sunday.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended Djokovic’s visa revocation, saying: “Rules are rules”.
A federal judge hearing the Djokovic case warned his lawyers at a hearing on Thursday that the court would proceed at its own pace through all necessary appeals.
“He’s not rocking the dog here,” he said.