Djokovic challenged his deportation and visa cancellation in Australia’s Federal Circuit and Family Court.
Melbourne, An Australian judge has restored world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic’s visa, which was canceled as soon as he arrived last week for not being vaccinated against the coronavirus. Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly ordered the government to release Djokovic from the quarantine hotel in Melbourne within 30 minutes of the verdict.
Public prosecutor Christopher Tran told the judge that Alex Hawke, the minister for the Department of Immigration, Citizenship, Immigration Services and Multiculturalism, would decide whether to exercise his personal authority to revoke the visa. This means Djokovic could face relegation again and could be ruled out of the Australian Open, starting January 17.
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Djokovic challenged his deportation and visa cancellation in Australia’s Federal Circuit and Family Court. The Australian government on Wednesday canceled his visa on arrival in Melbourne because he did not meet the criteria for medical exemption in the Corona Vaccination Rules. Djokovic said that he did not need to provide proof of vaccination because he had evidence that he was a victim of corona infection last month.
Djokovic’s documents presented in court say that he has not been vaccinated. Australia’s medical department has given a temporary exemption to vaccination for people suffering from corona infection within six months. Circuit Court Judge Kelly found that Djokovic had handed over documents at Melbourne airport to authorities on a medical exemption granted to him by Tennis Australia.
“The question is what else he could have done,” the judge asked Djokovic’s lawyer, Nick Wood. Djokovic’s lawyer admitted that there was nothing more he could do. He said Djokovic tried his best to convince the authorities that he did whatever he could to get into Australia.
The virtual hearing of the case was interrupted several times as thousands of people from all over the world tried to watch it. At one point, the court link was hacked. Djokovic has won 20 Grand Slams, and with one title, he will overtake Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He has won the Australian Open nine times. (agency)