After the announced objection by his lawyers against the renewed cancellation of his visa for Australia, the Federal Court should clarify on Sunday whether the Serb will participate in the Australian Open, which begins on Monday. Judge Anthony Kelly made the decision at a hearing on Friday. As Australian media reports, Djokovic will spend until then in the deportation hotel where he had to live after entering the country.
The unvaccinated Djokovic’s visa had previously been invalidated a second time in a personal decision by Immigration Secretary Alex Hawke. That was well justified and “in the public interest,” the minister said. Djokovic is not vaccinated against the coronavirus and is therefore a controversial person in the country that has had tough rules since the beginning of the pandemic.
“Every minute before the tournament starts is precious”
Djokovic’s lawyer Nicholas Wood immediately announced an appeal against the decision and urged not to waste any time. “Every minute before Monday’s tournament starts is precious,” Wood said at the hearing before Justice Anthony Kelly. At the same time, the lawyer criticized that the decision was “irrational” and disproportionate.
Judge Kelly had already dealt with the case and ruled in favor of Djokovic on Monday due to a formal error by the authorities after the 34-year-old was initially refused entry to Melbourne.
The Immigration Minister Hawke had previously announced his decision after four days. “Today I exercised my right to void Mr. Novak Djokovic’s visa,” Hawke said in a statement, “on the basis that it is in the public interest to do so.” The decision was not taken lightly and he carefully checked all the documents that the immigration authorities, the Australian border guards and Djokovic presented to him.
Causa Djokovic is causing discussions around the world
When it comes to its decision, however, the government knows that the vast majority of Australians are behind it: According to a survey by the media group News Corp, 83 percent of those surveyed support the attempt to expel Djokovic from the country again. The vaccination rate in Australia is 91 percent, and many people are outraged about exceptions for the unvaccinated. They also had to restrict themselves enormously during the pandemic when they had to endure the world’s longest lockdown. Recently, the number of newly infected people has risen sharply again.
Djokovic fights visa withdrawal again
Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open is a long way off. The Australian government has revoked the Serb’s visa. Although his lawyers have lodged an objection, the decision is not expected until the weekend.
Regardless, the Djokovic case is causing discussions around the world and even diplomatic tensions between Australia and Serbia. In addition, the global debate about rights for the unvaccinated picked up speed. Djokovic is considered a vaccination skeptic.
The initial reactions from the Serbian media reflect the heated mood. “Incredible what the (Australian) Minister gives as a rationale: public health and the common good. And this in a country that has 150,000 new infections every day!” wrote Telegraf.rs and concluded: “This is crazy!”. “The pursuit of Novak,” wrote Blic.rs, and Informer.rs even saw a cartoon in an Australian newspaper as evidence of “lynch mood.”
Backing from Serbia
Djokovic also received support from the Serbian President. “The attacks and pressure on Novak Djokovic, a citizen of Serbia, are incomprehensible to me,” Aleksandar Vucic said in a speech he posted on Instagram on Friday. He also complained about the “pressure that Serbia is exposed to”. But the Serbs were “not able to take away their dignity and pride” in their story. The President concluded his speech with the words: “Long live Serbia! Novak, Serbia is with you!”
So far, the organizers of the Australian Open, which begins on Monday, have not felt the need to react. In the draw on the website, defending champion Djokovic is also still listed as number one at the top. One will probably wait until Djokovic has exhausted all legal remedies. If the decision is upheld, Russia’s Andrei Rublev, seeded number five, will take Djokovic’s place and a lucky loser from qualifying will move up into the field. In the hunt for the major record of 21 titles, only Rafael Nadal remained in the field.
Number one position wobbles
However, Djokovic’s non-appearance could also have lasting effects on the world rankings: If Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev win the tournament, the “Djoker” would lose the number one position in the ATP ranking. Regardless of the outcome of the Melbourne saga, the rest of the tennis year will also be a challenge for Djokovic if he remains unvaccinated. It is at least not unlikely that other tennis organizers will follow Australia’s example and only allow vaccinated players.
