Novak Djokovic Visa Issue Takes Another Dramatic Twist
One of the all-time greats of tennis, 9 times Australian Open winner will attempt to begin his title defense next week as the controversy and legal disputes surrounding his entry to Australia grab headline news. Reports emerged earlier this week that Novak had had his visa revoked by the Australian government and would be held in a notorious immigration detention center. Following a lengthy public battle of lawyers, a state judge in Melbourne overruled the decision to revoke the visa, and Djokovic has been free to start preparations for the tournament.
The tennis star Novak Djokovic is not having a good week as the defending champion has his visa revoked for a second time. The nine time winner of the Australian Open will battle in court with his lawyers to try and remain in the country. ©Bessi/Pixabay
The whole debacle surrounding Djokovic and the Australian Open started last week when the tennis star posted on his social media that he had been granted an exception from the Australian government despite his vaccination status being unclear. The move prompted a massive backlash from the Australian population, a country that has been subjected to some of the strictest COVID lockdown measures out of anywhere in the world.
With the public uproar in full swing by the time Novak arrived in the country, it appears to have forced politicians to seize the opportunity. By not allowing Novak to freely enter the country the Australian government must have thought they would be sending a strong message to those that refuse the vaccine or feel that they can circumvent the rules at the border. For such a high-profile and important tennis player to be caught up in issues that only effect normal people have been surreal and fuelled this story to the front page of newspapers and publishers all around the world.
Despite the win restoring his visa and right to stay in Australia late on Wednesday, the tennis star is facing a fresh challenge after his visa was revoked for a second time early on Friday morning. Australia’s most senior immigration official has already laid out his intention to fight against the reinstatement of Novak’s visa. There will be a number of interesting public statements coming from both sides as lawyers seek to justify the question one side or another.
Novak in Hot Water for Entry Form Irregularities
In a bizarre recognition of the potential missteps that he had made in entering Australia, Novak Djokovic took to Instagram to address the consequences of his decision making and admit that he had broken the law prior to entering Australia. According to his own admission, Novak knowingly attended an in-person interview with a journalist the day after receiving a positive PCR test result. This eyebrow raising admission has not landed well around the globe, and the admission could spell future legal problems for the world champion.
Another element that is causing issues for the Serbian star is the fact that on his entry forms to Australia he claimed to have not travelled in the past 14 days. It does now appear that this was a false statement, and there is clear evidence from social media that the player has in fact been travelling between various locations in the run up to his arrival at the Australian border. This detail has been put down to human error, and there is of course no reason to believe that the Serbian would try to hide his movements. The agent of Djokovic has claimed responsibility for the mistake, and the tennis star has said that he left all the administration responsibilities in the hands of his team, as all he would do is focus on the tennis.
Alex Hawke the immigration minister is already planning to challenge the actions taken by Djokovic and his team in the build-up to his arrival at the border. It could be a ground to dismiss the renewed visa that he was awarded in the previous week. With the Serbian now trying to get back on court to defend his title, it will likely cause an enormous public backlash if the organisation decides to pull the players right to remain in Australia at this late stage of the preliminary matches.
