Source: ABCnews
Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic is set to be deported from Australia after his visa was cancelled this morning, the federal government says.
The 34-year-old landed at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport late last night and was detained by Australian Border Force (ABF) officials.
In a statement, the ABF confirmed Djokovic did not meet the entry requirements and his visa was cancelled.
“Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison reacted to the decision, tweeting that “rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders.”
“No-one is above these rules,” he said.
Djokovic is entitled to challenge the decision in court, but the Federal Court says it has not yet received any application from his lawyers.
The ABC understands he will be taken to a quarantine hotel while any legal appeal is processed.
Late night entry
The Serb touched down in Melbourne about 11:30pm AEDT yesterday after a 14-hour flight from Dubai.
His coach and support team were allowed to enter the country, but Djokovic was detained for several hours while his visa application was assessed.
Djokovic’s father, Srdjan, told Serbian media that his son was waiting, alone, in a room at the Tullamarine airport under armed guard.
Srdjan Djokovic said the player’s supporters would “gather on the street” if the situation was not resolved soon.
“This is a fight for the liberal world, this is not just a fight for Novak, but a fight for the whole world.”
Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic, posted a photo to Instagram of himself and other members of the Serb’s support team waiting at Melbourne Airport with the caption “not the most usual trip Down Under”.
Djokovic’s visa drama has derailed his pursuit of his 10th Australian Open singles title and 21st grand slam title overall.
The Serb is currently level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 grand slam titles.
Former tennis player Sam Groth said the Djokovic saga was overshadowing the build up to the Australian Open.
“It’s creating backlash, not just here in Australia because I feel like the Australian population and the Victorian people have been very, very vocal about how they feel about Novak coming in the first place,” he told Channel Nine.
“The question is how we’re going to look to the rest of the world. It’s turning a little bit ugly.”
Earlier, the Victorian government said that Djokovic had received a COVID-19 vaccination exemption to compete at the Australian Open, following a “rigorous review process”.
Yesterday, that decision was met with widespread criticism, but Tennis Australia and Victorian government officials said Djokovic was not given special treatment.
The Serb’s exemption application was assessed by two separate panels who did not know the name, age or country of origin of the person making the application.
Tennis Australia said 26 people made vaccine exemption applications related to the Australian Open, and “only a handful” were granted.
