MELBOURNE, Australia – Novak Djokovic’s hopes of playing in the Australian Open came to an end on Sunday after a court dismissed a tennis star’s appeal over deportation.
Three federal court judges upheld Friday’s decision by the immigration minister to revoke the visa of a 34 – year – old Serbian athlete in the public interest.
The decision indicates that Djokovic, who has not been vaccinated against Govt-19, will continue to be detained in Melbourne pending deportation.
Deportation generally carries a three-year ban on returning to Australia.
Minister Djokovic’s visa was revoked on the grounds that Djokovic’s stay in Australia could endanger the health and “order” of the country’s population and “could be counterproductive to vaccination efforts by others in Australia”.
Djokovic’s visa was initially revoked at Melbourne Airport on January 6, just hours after he arrived to compete in the first Grand Slam of 2022.
The border official canceled Djokovic’s visa after concluding that Djokovic did not meet the requirements for medical exemptions from Australia’s regulations on vaccinating travelers.
