Tennis Star, Djokovic To Stay, Defend Australian Open Title As Court Overturns Visa Cancellation
Tennis star, Novak Djokovic has on Monday, January 10 won a court battle challenging the cancellation of his Australian visa, in a case that has drawn global attention.
The Australian court pronounced that the world No.1 has a valid entry visa that cannot be cancelled.
The judge Anthony Kelly agreed with Djokovic’s lawyers who argued the cancellation was unreasonable.
Read Also: Australia Cancels Tennis Player, Novak Djokovic’s Visa Over COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption
He ruled that Djokovic’s visa cancellation should be revoked immediately and that he was to be released within 30 minutes of the judgement.
The counsel to Djokovic, Nicholas Wood, had argued that the Serb met all necessary requirements for quarantine-free travel, and that border officials failed to give valid notice of the government’s intention to revoke his visa.
Judge Kelly agreed that the Australian government had failed to give valid notice of the intention to cancel Djokovic’s visa because of the COVID-19 vaccination status.
Though the government asked for an adjournment, when they came back, it was to withdraw their case.
Recall that Djokovic flew into Australia via Melbourne Airport on Thursday to begin preparation for his title defence and quest to become the first man to win 21 Grand Slam titles.
However, he was arrested and detained at the airport before being transferred to the Park Hotel, an immigration detention centre.
Djokovic was allowed to leave briefly to watch the court hearing from his lawyers’ office.
Although the judge ruled in Djokovic’s favor today, the saga may not be over just yet – Australia’s immigration minister is considering using his power to re-cancel the visa, the government lawyer, Chris Tran, revealed this.
If the Australian government decides to go that route, Djokovic will be disallowed from entering the country for three years.
The government insists that Djokovic’s recent COVID-19 infection does not make him eligible for an exemption from entry rules.
The first Grand Slam of the year serves off on January 17 and runs until January 30.
Meanwhile, Serbia’s government and the star’s father has reacted with outrage to the incident, saying the tennis player was being unfairly targeted.
Australian Open, the First Grand Slam of the year, begins on 17 January and runs until January 30. If Djokovic wins, he will become the most successful men’s player in history.
