Back to square zero for Novak Djokovic. For the second time in nine days, the world number one in tennis, unvaccinated, should be placed in immigration detention by the Australian authorities. The conservative government, victim of a snub in worldview on Monday, January 10, when the federal court in Melbourne had agreed with the Serb by rendering the cancellation of his visa null and void, launched a new deportation procedure on Friday, January 14.
But this time it was Immigration Minister Alex Hawke who went on the offensive by using his discretionary power to cancel a visa: “Today I exercised my power (…) on the basis of health and respect for order, on the grounds that it was in the general interest to do so”, explained Alex Hawke in a press release.
Novak Djokovic should appeal. Time is running out for the nine-time winner of the Australian Open: the first Grand Slam of the year begins Monday in Melbourne. If he does not file an appeal, he could be expelled quickly.
In recent days, embarrassing revelations have weakened his defense. Before embarking for Melbourne, the nThe 1 in the world celebrated Christmas in Belgrade then made a detour to Marbella (Spain) to train – as evidenced by images published on social networks – a detour that he did not specify in the entry form on Australian territory, made public on Tuesday. Wednesday, in a press release published on Instagram, the Serb explained that his agent had completed the document by committing a “human error, certainly not deliberate”.
Non-compliance with isolation rules
Another disturbing element: an investigation by the German weekly The mirror published Tuesday came cast doubt on the date of Djokovic’s positive test, speculating that it would not have taken place on December 16 but on December 26.
The Australian authorities took the time to dig into these two tracks, to which was added a third: non-compliance with the rules of isolation, in Serbia, in the wake of its PCR test on December 16. Because the world number one acted in defiance of health rules. That day, Djokovic appeared without a mask during the presentation of a stamp bearing his likeness by the Serbian post. The next day, he presented trophies to youngsters at his academy in Belgrade, posing among them once again unmasked. “I was asymptomatic (…) and only received the information of my positive PCR test after this event was over”, justified the player on Wednesday, who admitted a “misjudgment” by receiving a journalist and a photographer from the daily The Team December 18.
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