The decision about the participation of tennis professional Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open has apparently still not been made. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday, when asked by a reporter, that Immigration Secretary Alex Hawke was considering exercising his personal rights and revoking the world’s number one visa.
“These are personal ministerial powers that Secretary Hawke can use, and I will not comment on them at this time,” said Morrison.
On Wednesday it became known that new information from the lawyers of 34-year-old Djokovic had postponed the timeframe for Hawkes’ decision. It is still not known when, after days of tug-of-war over the Serbian visa, it will finally be clear.
Despite the unclear situation, Djokovic was part of the draw for the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne on Thursday. This was initially postponed by 75 minutes at short notice. Reasons for this were not given on Thursday. Finally, Djokovic was drawn to a duel with his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic.
[Wenn Sie aktuelle Nachrichten aus Berlin, Deutschland und der Welt live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen können.]
The 34-year-old number one in the world rankings is not vaccinated against the coronavirus, his visa could be withdrawn by the government.
Djokovic had already been held up on arrival at the airport last week and initially taken to a deportation hotel because the border officials did not have the documents for his medical exemption. Djokovic successfully defended himself against the decision in court on Monday and has since trained in Melbourne. He has already won the Australian Open nine times. (dpa)
