This archive report was first published on 5 January 2022.
World number one Novak Djokovic's Australian Open bid hit a snag on January 5, 2022, after the state government of Victoria refused to support his visa application.
Victoria's acting sports minister, Jaala Pulford, stated that her state would not be providing individual visa application support to Djokovic for the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam.
According to reports, Djokovic may have submitted a request for the wrong type of visa, which led to the delay in his entry into Australia.
On January 5, 2022, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned that if the reasons for Djokovic's exemption were 'insufficient', he would be 'on the next plane home.'
Australians reacted with fury upon learning that vaccine-sceptic Djokovic had received a medical exemption from having a COVID-19 vaccine to play at the Australian Open.
