An court appeal is scheduled for tomorrow, just a day before the tennis player is scheduled to play his first match of the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic training at Melbourne Park on Friday before his visa was cancelled. Image: Alamy Stock Photo Novak Djokovic training at Melbourne Park on Friday before his visa was cancelled. Image: Alamy Stock Photo AUSTRALIA RETURNED NOVAK Djokovic to detention today, saying the tennis star’s opposition to vaccination could cause “civil unrest” and triggering a high-profile court showdown.
A motorcade was spotted moving from his lawyers’ offices – where he had been kept under guard for most of the day – to the former Park Hotel facility. Djokovic’s presence in Australia “may foster anti-vaccination sentiment”, immigration minister Alex Hawke argued, justifying his use of broad executive powers to revoke the ace’s visa.
Many Australians – who have suffered prolonged lockdowns and border restrictions – believe Djokovic gamed the system to dodge vaccine entry requirements.But the government was humiliated when a judge reinstated Djokovic’s visa and allowed him to remain in the country. “The case is likely to define how tourists, foreign visitors and even Australian citizens view the nation’s immigration policies and ‘equality before the law’ for years to come,” said Sanzhuan Guo, a law lecturer at Flinders University.The minister admitted that Djokovic is at “negligible” risk of infecting Australians, but argued his past “disregard” for Covid-19 regulations may pose a risk to public health and encourage people to ignore pandemic rules.
Djokovic is the Australian Open’s top seed and a nine-time winner of the tournament. He had been practising just hours before Hawke’s decision was announced.
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