Novak Djokovic has found himself in quite a tight spot ahead of the Australian Open 2022 as he gets his visa cancelled upon his arrival in the continent after not taking the vaccine
The nine-time Australian-Open champion had his visa cancelled and has been denied entry into the Australian subcontinent ahead of the Australian Open. Djokovic now has to spend the night in an immigration detention facility while he resists from being thrown out of Australia.
Here’s all you need to know about why he has been deported, what is his current situation like among other details.
Reason Behind Novak Djokovic Getting A Medical Exemption And His Vaccine Status
Unless there was an underlying medical condition, complete vaccination for all players, staff and fans at the Australian Open was very much mandated by the state government for Victoria, where Melbourne Park is situated. As firmly stated by Victoria State Deputy Premier James Merlino, medical exemptions would not in any way be a “loophole for privileged tennis players”. He also added that the exemptions would only be granted in “exceptional circumstances if you have an acute medical condition.”
Tennis Australia revealed that the exemptions were granted to Djokovic after a rigorous review process which involved two separate independent panels of medical experts. However, the reason behind the Serbian’s request for a medical exemption was never revealed either by the player or Tennis Australia.
Craig Tiley, director of Australian Open disclosed that a total of 26 players or support staff turned in their applications for medical exemptions and a “handful” were granted with them. The ones who got the exemptions were either suffering from acute major medical conditions, experienced serious adverse reaction to a previous dose of a Covid-19 vaccine or displayed evidence of a Covid-19 infection within the last six months.
Even though the 34-year old Serb was granted with a medical exemption, which excused him from gracing the hard- court tournament without getting vaccinated, Novak’s visa for entering Australia was revoked on Thursday.
Why Was Novak Djokovic Restricted From Entering Australia If He Had An Exemption And Will He Get Deported?
Upon his arrival at the airport in Australia, the Australian Border Force caused problems for the tennis player and ultimately cancelled his visa. The reason provided by them was that “he failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements.” Prime Minister Scott Morrison also tweeted saying, “No one is above these rules”. He later spoke about the situation in a press conference and termed Djokovic’s exemption as null and void.
Was Djokovic Not Welcomed By Australian Fans Either?
No. Apparently not. When Tennis Australia broke the news in their press release that the tennis world number one was on his way to Australia with a medical exemption, people in Melbourne were rather displeased. This is because of the fact that most of them suffered through months and months of lockdown along with harsh travel restrictions that were imposed when the pandemic was at its very peak in the continent.
Also, more than 90% of Victoria state residents aged 12 and over are fully vaccinated by now so the thought of the tennis player’s arrival to their country without having been vaccinated did not sit well with them.
What does not come as a surprise however is Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s reaction to whatever their national treasure has had to experience so far. The deportation of Djokovic has been severely objected to by Vucic, who even went on to call it “harassment”.
Novak Djokovic Appeal, Current Situation And Australian Open 2022 Latest News
Matters have only worsened since the commencement of this fiasco. So much so that Djokovic has now gone on to even launch legal action in Australia’s Federal Circuit Court against his visa being cancelled by the Australian authorities. So if he is to return back home now, he would still be able to get back to Australia in time for the Australian Open, given that his efforts aimed at entering the continent prove to be fruitful.
Djokovic’s appeal against his visa cancellation has been adjourned till Monday as of now, meaning he will remain in Melbourne quarantine until then.
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