Novak Djokovic deported and will not be able to play the Australian Open
The tennis tournament required proof of vaccination against Covid-19 from all competitors.
Novak Djokovic has left Australia after a court upheld the decision to cancel his visa.
Less than 18 hours before the start of the first tournament of the year, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia, after three court judges upheld the decision to cancel his visa.
The 34-year-old was trying to use a medical exemption to avoid the requirements of the Australian Open, which requires all players to be vaccinated without exception. Djokovic, being unvaccinated, was considered a national health hazard by the Australian government because he could stoke anti-vaccine people.
Accompanied by two government officials, Novak Djokovic was seen at the Melbourne airport, this time wearing a mask. His destination was Dubai. The tennis player issued a statement expressing his discontent.
In the statement, Djokovic expressed his great frustration at not participating in the Australian Open, that the court has dismissed the request for review of the decision to annul his visa caused him great disappointment.
The judgment
On January 15, the hearing was held where the tennis player's defense presented for more than an hour the arguments with which they would avoid the removal of the visa and his deportation.
Djokovic's lawyer, Nick Wood, said the judge, in wanting to prevent an anti-vaccine riot, generated anti-vaccine sentiment itself by canceling his visa and approving his deportation.
The argument most used by the tennis player's defense was that Djokovic never expressed being anti -vaccines, what he did openly express was the freedom of choice that each person has to want or not want to be vaccinated.
What complicated Djokovic's situation was his refusal to take the stand to testify before the judge and defend his position on the COVID-19 vaccine.
The defense of Alex Hawke, the minister who canceled Djokovic's visa, refuted the tennis player's lawyers, claiming that they never presented evidence or material that Novak had a medical prescription not to be vaccinated.
They also added that, contrary to what Djokovic's defense claims, the tennis player has publicly declared that he is against vaccination, even knowing this, he was given the opportunity to change his mind, which did not happen.
Lawyer Stephen Lloyd assured that the tennis player has a great history of ignoring biosecurity measures, referring to an interview he gave and a photo session where he involved removing his mask even when he was aware that he was positive for Covid-19.
While the hearing was taking place, outside the federal court in Australia, there were approximately 20 people with loudspeakers expressing their support for the tennis player.
The end of the case
At approximately 10:00 a.m. in Australia, the Serbian tennis player was detained by border agents. The day before, Minister Alex Hawke denied Novak a visa for the second time, which would prevent him from playing at the Australian Open.
After the second cancellation of Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic's visa, the Australian authorities issued an arrest warrant that was carried out in the early hours of Saturday.
According to the Australian government, the tennis player's presence could represent a threat to public health and civil order due to his anti-vaccine stance and rejection of biosafety regulations.
The Australian Open
The Australian Tennis Federation, in a statement, said it would respect the Federal Court's decision. He ended the statement by sending good wishes and good luck to all the players who are going to compete.
Djokovic's first game was going to be against his compatriot, Miomir Kecmanovic. After Novak's deportation, Kecmanovic would advance to the next round due to a "lucky loser" rule that applies when a player must leave the competition.
The Australian Open will now only feature one former men's champion, Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal.