Court deals a blow to Novak Djokovic’s last ditch bid to play in the Australian Open though a unanimous verdict.
Sunday | January 16, 2022
Australian Federal Court dismissed Novak Djokovic’s effort appeal to have his visa reversed; thus, clearing a way for his deportation.
Djovokoc arrived in Australia on the Jan. 5, 2022 to defend his Australian Open championship under a cloud relating to his Covid-19 vaccine denialism.
On Jan. 4, he posted on Twitter that “today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission”. His visa was revoked on Jan. 6. Later, it was found that he did not declare his travel history as required upon revealing he had tested positive for Covid-19 on the 16th of December 2021. As a result, it emerged that he had violated the 14-day quirantine regime of the pandemic in line with Australian requirements.
The court constituted by three judges mean that he will remain in mandatory detention and will have no chance to play in the epic tennis 2022 tournament edition.
The global tennis superstar was in his lawyers’ office when the court upheld the visa cancelation, Matthew Chance said on CNN. Chance also intimated that Australia was apprehensive that allowing Djokovic to participate in the tournament was going galvanize antivaccine mavericks.
The World Number 1 tennis player’s lawyers argued that the court’s decision to cancel his visa was unjustified.
Ben Rothenberg, the tennis expert, said the Serbian icon arrived in Australia unvaccinated and the majority of the citizens would be pleased to see him deported.
The Australian people have sacrificed a lot when the pandemic was at it height and was one of the countries to go on lockdown, the Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. Furthermore, he stressed that Djokovic not exception to the Covid-19 rule and vaccination policies of the country.
Alex Hawke Minister of Immigration, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alex Hawke released a statement on Jan. 14, 2020 stating that:
“The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. I thank the officers of the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force who work every day to serve Australia’s interests in increasingly challenging operational environments.”
Rothenberg went on to says that the government wanted to show that no one could get around Australian rules.
The saga around the Novak Djokovic relates to his views about Covid-19 and vaccination. It is public knowledge that he said he will not be forced to take a vaccine.
Djokovic’s views are strange and go against science because the whole world is experiencing wa pandemic, Kevin Garside of The i Paper told SkyNews.
Although disappointed, Djokovic indicated that he accepted the ruling. For this reason, he is going to miss out on the rare opportunity to become the greatest player in the host of the tennis Grand Slam.