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Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced on Friday that he had again canceled the visa of world tennis number one Novak Djokovic. Whoever has won the Australian Open nine times could be banned from entering the territory for three years.
Three days before the start of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic’s participation is again compromised. The Australian visa of the world’s number one, who wanted to enter the country without being vaccinated against Covid-19, has been canceled for the second time, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced on Friday (January 14th).
“Today, I exercised my power under Section 133C (3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa that Novak Djokovic had available for reasons of health and public order, based on the fact that this decision went in the direction of the general interest “, explained Alex Hawke in a press release. The Australian government “is firmly committed to protecting Australian borders, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
Entry ban on the territory
This decision also implies that the Serbian player, who was aiming for a 21e The record-breaking Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, which begins on Monday, will be barred from entering the country for three years, except under certain circumstances.
The 34-year-old’s visa had already been canceled for the first time on January 5 when he arrived in Melbourne, and Djokovic was then placed in a detention center with a view to his deportation.
The tennisman’s lawyers, however, had won a landslide victory on January 10, getting a judge to reinstate his visa and order his immediate release. Since then, Djokovic has been training for the tournament and will face compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round.e world player.
But the Minister of Immigration retained the possibility of revoking the visa again under his discretionary power.
With AFP and Reuters
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