Coming to Melbourne in early January to compete in the Australian Open, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic got entangled in a legal and media storm after the cancellation, twice, of his visa for health reasons. Summary of the case that shakes the world of tennis.
- Novak Djokovic is currently in Melbourne to play the Australian Open but could be kicked out of the territory.
- The Australian authorities accuse him of having lied about his exemption from compulsory vaccination.
- His visa was canceled twice. He has just benefited from a new reprieve during a hearing this Friday, January 14.
It’s a soap opera with twists and turns that keeps the whole planet in suspense. That of the Serbian Novak Djokovic against the Australian authorities, determined not to let him enter the territory to compete in the Australian Open following the revelations about his vaccination status.
Uncertain vaccination status
The beginnings of the current crisis date back to last November, when Craig Tiley, director of the Australian Open, indicated that all participants in this first Grand Slam tournament of 2022 must be vaccinated.
Novak Djokovic, who had publicly spoken out against compulsory vaccination, for several weeks cast doubt on his participation in the Australian Open by not communicating his vaccination status. The player ends up announcing on January 4 his coming to Melbourne on social networks by evoking an authorization for exemption from vaccination. He then camped, all smiles, on the airport tarmac
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But the doubt remains. Does the player meet the conditions to benefit from an exemption from the vaccination obligation? Among the possible cases, there is in particular contamination with Covid-19 in the last six months, side effects from a first dose or even a recent major health problem. For its part, the management of the Australian Open claims to have carried out a “rigorous review involving two independent panels of medical experts”which concluded that the player was authorized to return to Australian territory.
No justification for his exemption from vaccination?
But on January 5, change of tone on the part of the Australian authorities. Arrived at Melbourne airport, Novak Djokovic remains blocked at customs for a visa problem because his teams would not have made the correct request for justification of his exemption.
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt also reacts by declaring that the Serbian player has had his visa withdrawn and will therefore be deported. Craig Tiley, for his part, lets go of the player, declaring in the media that he “Would certainly be useful if Novak explained the conditions under which he requested and obtained an exemption”. “I encourage him to speak to the community about this. We have been through a very difficult time over the past two years and I would appreciate some responses”he adds.
His visa canceled twice
But Novak Djokovic decides to appeal this decision on January 6. Pending the postponed appeal hearing, the tennis player is authorized to stay in Australia. His team then worked on his defense and brought as proof of the merits of the exemption a recent infection with Covid-19. “The date of the first positive Covid PCR test was recorded on December 16, 2021”, Djokovic’s lawyers say in a document filed in federal court. On January 10, the world No. 1 finally won his case when judge Anthony Kelly ordered his immediate release.
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But the adventures are not over for the player. This Friday, January 14, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke once again canceled Novak Djokovic’s visa “for reasons of health and good order, on the grounds that it was in the public interest to do so”. “Australians have made many sacrifices during this pandemic, and rightly want the outcome of those sacrifices to be protected”Prime Minister Scott Morrisson added.
An emergency hearing was granted to the tennis player by the Australian courts, which agreed to stay his expulsion. This means that unless there is a new twist, Novak Djokovic can stay in the country and could well play his match at the Australian Open on Monday.
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