A day before the start of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic failed with his appeal against the cancellation of the visa. A look back at the legal impasse:
10th of December: The deadline for applying for an exemption to participate in the Australian Open is ending – for players who have not been vaccinated against the corona virus. Only fully vaccinated people are allowed to start.
December 16: The unvaccinated Djokovic attends a Serbian Post event in his home country. In the evening he finds out about his infection. The positive PCR result is in documents that his lawyers later submit to the Australian authorities. According to the rules in Serbia, Covid positives who do not have severe symptoms must be isolated at home for 14 days.
December 17: Djokovic, who actually lives in Monaco, is a guest at an awards ceremony for young tennis players in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, without a mask or distance.
December 18: He has an interview with a photo shoot for the French sports newspaper «L’Équipe».
December 22: Djokovic did another test. Result according to own statements: negative.
30th of December: According to his lawyers, Djokovic will receive an exemption for the Australian Open from the head of medicine at the Australian Tennis Association.
New Year 2021/2022: Social media footage shows Djokovic at a tennis club in Marbella, Spain.
January 5th: Djokovic travels to Australia. Because he does not present the necessary documents for a special permit from the point of view of the authorities, he is refused entry. He comes to a deportation hotel.
6th January: At a notable press conference in Belgrade, Djokovic’s father compares his son to Jesus Christ. “Jesus was crucified, everything was done to him, and he endured and still lives among us,” said Srdjan Djokovic. “Now they try to crucify Novak in the same way and do everything to him.”
10. January: A court in Melbourne upholds Djokovic’s appeal and allows him to enter the country. He can move freely. A few hours later he is on the training ground.
11th January: It is revealed that Djokovic stated in his immigration form that he had not traveled in the 14 days before flying to Australia.
January 12: Djokovic publicly admits misconduct following his positive corona test in December. However, he denies that he intentionally endangered people or made false statements.
13th January: Djokovic is seeded number one in the Australian Open draw. In round one he should meet his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic.
January 14: Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke uses his personal right to invalidate Djokovic’s visa again. The Serb’s lawyers have lodged a complaint. A federal court is scheduled to rule on Sunday, January 16.
January 16: The federal court in Australia rejects Djokovic’s appeal against his denied entry and visa annulment. The tennis star flies from Australia to Dubai in the evening (local time).
