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Highlights
- Novak Djokovic on Sunday finally flew out of Australia following a court’s decision to uphold the Australian government's decision to cancel his visa.
- It ended hopes of the unvaccinated Serbian to secure a record 21st Grand Slam title win at the Australian Open.
- The Australian Open 2022 begins Monday, 17 January.
Ending days of drama, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic finally flew out of Australia following a court’s decision to uphold the Australian government's decision to cancel his visa on account of his unvaccinated status. With it, came the end of the dream of the unvaccinated Serbian to secure a record 21st Grand Slam win at the Australian Open. On Sunday, Djokovic boarded an Emirates flight bound for Dubai.
While the world’s top men’s tennis player expressed disappointment on the unanimous ruling by a three-judge Federal Court bench, he wished the tournament well. "I respect the Court’s ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country," Djokovic said in a statement.
"We look forward to a competitive and exciting Australian Open 2022 and wish all the players the best of luck," he added.
The Australian Open 2022 begins Monday, 17 January.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed the judgement, saying the decision would help "keep our borders strong and keep Australia safe.”
“It is time now to get on with the Australian Open and get back to enjoying tennis over the summer,” Morrison said in a statement.
How the Djokovic episode began
The high-profile saga, which saw a tennis superstar pitted against the Australian government, began when Djokovic's visa was first revoked shortly after his arrival in Australia on 5 January.
It was on 16 December 2021 that the Serbian was granted a visa to enter Australia, with a medical exemption from Australia's requirements that all visitors be vaccinated. Tennis Australia had organised the exemption for the tennis player.
However, the exemption soon attracted huge uproar in Australia, a country with over 90% of adults being vaccinated. The Federal Government soon pitched in and contested the exemption. Australia has recently seen some of the democratic world's toughest restrictions on international travel.
On 6 January 2022, Djokovic, 34, was detained by Australian immigration authorities and was released by a court on 10 January. He was detained again on Saturday, pending Sunday’s court hearing.
The tennis star had earlier appealed against Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's use of discretionary powers to reject his visa. Hawke had said that the unvaccinated tennis player could pose a threat to public order as his presence would boost anti-vaccination sentiment.
Serbia calls it ‘great injustice’
Serbia's Olympic Committee described the deportation of the tennis star as a "great injustice".
"We are proud of Novak Djokovic and the way he coped with these extremely difficult and unpleasant circumstances. Despite this scandalous decision, we believe Novak came out as the winner again," the committee said in a statement.
Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabic said, "I think that the court’s decision is scandalous, I am disappointed, I think it demonstrated how the rule of law is functioning or better to say not functioning in some other countries”.
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