Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic will be deported from Australia after the Federal Court on January 16 rejected his plea challenging the government's decision to cancel his visa for not being vaccinated against coronavirus.
This unanimous verdict effectively disqualifies the world's top men's tennis player from defending his Australian Open title at Melbourne when the year's first grand slam begins on January 17. The ruling also means Djokovic loses the opportunity to win a record 21st Grand Slam.
Speaking to the press, Djokovic said he was disappointed but would respect the decision and co-operate with the authorities.
"I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love," he said.
Djokovic had appealed against Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's use of discretionary powers to cancel his visa.
The Serb, who had won a brief reprieve when a lower court ruled against his immediate deportation, found odds stacked against him after he admitted submitting wrong information for the visa.
Reports and photos of him violating isolation rules in his country didn't help either. He reportedly failed to isolate after testing positive for COVID-19 in December. He had cited the positive test while seeking medical exemption from Australia’s vaccination mandate for all visitors.
In court filings earlier in the week, Djokovic said the matter of him being unvaccinated was a personal choice.
Hawke, however, said Djokovic could be a threat to public order as his presence would encourage anti-vaccination sentiment as Australia's battled its worst coronavirus outbreak.
Also Read: Novak Djokovic loses deportation appeal in Australia
Here is a timeline of events in Djokovic's Australian Open saga:
December 16: Djokovic tests positive for COVID-19. The information is found on an affidavit to the Australian federal court.
December 17: Djokovic attends a charity event in Belgrade. He is seen without wearing a mask on social media. Later, he says the results of his tests, were available only after the event.
December 18: Djokovic again breaks Siberia's isolation rules as he gives an interview and does a photo shoot for the French sports newspaper L'Equipe in the Serbian capital Belgrade. Defending his move later in Australia, Djokovic says he did not want to let the journalist down.
December 22: Djokovic's PCR test comes back negative.
Also Read: EXPLAINER: How Novak Djokovic plans to fight deportation in court
December 30: Tennis Australia informs Djokovic that he has been granted a temporary medical exemption for entry. This was later confirmed to be vetted by medical experts.
January 1: In his declaration form, Djokovic says he didn’t travel anywhere 14 days prior to his departure. As reports of his travel to Spain begin to emerge, the player later admits he travelled between Serbia and Spain during that period.
January 5: Djokovic arrives in Australia not before causing a stir on social media. He posts his picture on Instagram, with the message, "I'm heading Down Under with an exemption."
January 6: He is detained by Australia's Border Force at the airport overnight and is told about the government’s decision to deport him.
January 7: He is granted permission to isolate at a hotel for 72 hours.
January 10: The first virtual court hearing rules in favour of Djokovic, saying it would be unreasonable to deport him at this time. Immigration minister Alexander Hawke tells the press he would use his personal powers to deport Djokovic.
January 14: Hawke cancels Djokovic's visa using discretionary powers, saying he may pose a risk to the country as it battles record Covid infections.
January 16: Australian Federal Courts reject Djokovic's appeal to overturn the visa cancellation, sealing his deportation.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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