Hours after a court docket resolution to deport him, Novak Djokovic left Australia Sunday, ending a drawn-out saga that shook the tennis world.
The world’s top-ranked male tennis participant left on the eve of the Australian Open, which begins Monday. In consequence he shall be unable to defend his title and win a document twenty first singles main title.
Djokovic, 34, had no alternative however to go away the nation, after three Australian federal judges dismissed his problem to a deportation order on Sunday and upheld a choice made Friday by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to cancel the Serb’s visa on public curiosity grounds.
Hawke later confirmed on social media that Djokovich had “departed Australia.”
A deportation order often features a three-year ban on returning to the nation, besides in sure circumstances. If this have been the case for Djokovic, he could be 37, when he was subsequent allowed to compete within the Australian Open.
Hoping to win his twenty first Grand Slam match, he had been set to play in opposition to his fellow Serb, Miomir Kecmanovic, the No. 78 participant on the earth. Italy’s Salvatore Caruso, ranked 150, will now take his place.
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After the court docket ruling, Djokovic stated in a press release he was “extraordinarily disillusioned” by the court docket’s resolution, however he would cooperate with Australian authorities on his departure.
He added that he was “uncomfortable” that the main target had been on him since his visa was first canceled on arrival at Mebourne’s airport on Jan. 6.
“I hope that we will all now deal with the sport and match I like,” he stated.
Djokovic was then taken to the airport in Melbourne, the place he boarded an Emirates flight certain for Dubai, in line with Reuters.
The furor round Djokovic has re-ignited the controversy over the rights of those that decide to stay unvaccinated in opposition to Covid-19.
Court docket filings made earlier this week confirmed Djokovic is unvaccinated, and he has stated the matter was one among private alternative.
Australian border restrictions at present permit entry solely to non-Australian vacationers who’re totally vaccinated, however he had argued he obtained a medical exemption to enter the nation as a result of he had been identified with Covid-19 in his homeland final month and had since recovered.
Djokovic appealed a choice by border officers, who rejected his exemption and cancelled his visa. This was later reinstated on procedural grounds.
Nonetheless, he admitted Wednesday, that his journey type to get into Australia included a false assertion and that he had failed to instantly isolate after testing optimistic in his native Serbia final month, including to the scrutiny from Australian officers and the world’s media.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke then canceled Djokovic’s visa for a second time on Friday, “on the premise that it was within the public curiosity to take action.”
His resolution was upheld by three Federal Court docket judges on Sunday. Chief Justice James Allsop stated their ruling was primarily based on the lawfulness and legality of the minister’s resolution within the context of the three grounds of enchantment Djokovic’s crew lodged.
Hawke welcomed the court docket’s ruling on Sunday. He stated that his countrymen had made nice sacrifices and the federal government was dedicated to defending these sacrifices. His feedback have been echoed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The scandal round Djokovic has left many Australians outraged as an outbreak of the extra transmissible omicron variant fuels record-high ranges of infections.
It has additionally led to diplomatic tensions between Australia and Serbia, the place Djokovic’s household and the nation’s leaders criticized Australian authorities for the way they dealt with the nationwide sporting icon.
“It’s not Novak that’s humiliated,” President Aleksandar Vucic instructed reporters after Sunday’s ruling. “I believe Australian authorities humiliated themselves.”
