This archive report was first published on 15 January 2022.
On January 11, 2022, Novak Djokovic, the world's number one tennis player, was seen practicing in the Rod Laver Arena ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. However, his participation in the tournament is now uncertain due to a visa issue.
On January 15, 2022, Djokovic arrived at Melbourne's Park Hotel, the same immigration detention hotel where he was held last week, just before 3:30 pm (0430 GMT), according to a Reuters witness. He was taken into immigration detention for a second time, after spending his first four nights in Australia in hotel detention before a judge freed him on Monday.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke decided to cancel Djokovic's visa because his presence could foster opposition to COVID-19 vaccination in Australia, court documents released after an initial hearing in the Federal Court on Saturday showed. Hawke stated in a letter to Djokovic and his legal team, 'Although I... accept that Mr Djokovic poses a negligible individual risk of transmitting COVID-19 to other persons, I nonetheless consider that his presence may be a risk to the health of the Australian community.'
Justice David O'Callaghan set a hearing on Djokovic's appeal for 9:30 a.m. on Sunday (2230 GMT on Saturday), with the question of whether it would be held before a single judge or a full court still to be determined. Djokovic's lawyers argued that deportation would only further fan anti-vaccine sentiment and would be as much a threat to disorder and public health as letting him stay and exempting him from Australia's requirement that all visitors be vaccinated.
Players were tiring of the saga, with Spaniard Rafa Nadal saying, 'Honestly I'm little bit tired of the situation because I just believe that it's important to talk about our sport, about tennis.' German Alexander Zverev, the world number three, said Djokovic had been treated unfairly and that the Serb might have been used as a political pawn by Australian authorities.
