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Tennis: Djokovic in limbo as he battles deportation

Brisbane riverside city, is the capital of Queensland, eastern Australia –

Tennis star Novak Djokovic spent a day confined to his hotel room awaiting trial to deal with the prospect of possible deportation from Australia.

The 20-time Grand Slam singles champion will spend at least another night there, in immigration detention, as he battles the move.

With entry denied and his visa canceled by Australian Border Force officials who dismissed evidence supporting a medical exemption for the country’s strict COVID-19 vaccination rules, Djokovic had to changed the practice court to the law court on Thursday.

The nine-time champion’s chances at the Australian Open starting January 17 are still in limbo.

Federal Court Judge Anthony Kelly said there had been a delay in receiving requests for a review of visa decisions and a temporary ban on Djokovic’s deportation. A government lawyer has agreed that 34-year-old Djokovic should not be deported until Friday at the earliest, while the hearing is adjourned until Monday.

Djokovic’s trip was highly controversial before he landed, with the conservative federal government and Victoria’s left-wing government appearing to have opposing views on what constitutes a viable medical facility. It is acceptable to waive Australia’s vaccination policy for foreign visitors.

Djokovic announced on social media on Tuesday that he had an “exempt permit” and that he landed in Melbourne late on Wednesday with a medical exemption from Victoria believed to be will protect him from vaccination regulations applicable to the Australian Open.

That might be fine for the league, but it doesn’t seem to be the country.

After a long-haul flight, he spent the night convincing border authorities that he had all the necessary paperwork, but the Australian Border Force released a statement early in the morning that Djokovic did not. meet entry requirements.

“The rule is very clear,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told a news conference. “You need a medical exemption. He doesn’t have a valid medical exemption. We make the call at the border, and that’s where it’s enforced.”

Health Secretary Greg Hunt said the visa cancellation came after border officials reviewed Djokovic’s medical waiver, who reviewed the “integrity and evidence behind it.”

The president of Djokovic’s hometown, Serbia, has denounced the “harassment” of this star. Djokovic was moved on Thursday morning to a secure hotel controlled by immigration officials and had previously housed asylum seekers and refugees. Supporters wearing Serbian flags gathered outside throughout the afternoon to show their support.

Meanwhile, Djokovic’s lawyers have launched legal action, at least temporarily, his deportation has been delayed.

Quarantine-free access won’t be a problem if Djokovic can prove he’s fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. He has instead applied for an exemption, a route that has only become an option in recent months after the state of Victoria abandoned its no-vaccination, no-play policy.

Questions have now been raised about the waiver approval.

The Sydney Morning Herald published letters sent in November from the Department of Health and the Minister of Health for Tennis Australia which indicated that Djokovic did not meet the standard – as defined by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization – for quarantine-free entry. .

When asked about the confusion, Morrison said it was up to the individual traveler to have accurate documentation upon arrival.

The prime minister rejected the suggestion that Djokovic be disqualified, but he acknowledged that other players could be in Australia under a similar medical exemption.

“One of the things the Border Force does is they operate on intelligence to direct their attention to potential arrivals,” he said. “When you get people to make public statements about what they say they have and will do, they draw considerable attention to themselves.”

Whoever does that, he said, “whether they’re a celebrity, a politician, a tennis player… they can expect to be questioned more than others before to.”

The medical exemption, examined by two independent expert panels and based on information provided anonymously by the players – and charged at face value – has been designed to allow Djokovic to play in Australia. Open regardless of his vaccination status.

He has spoken out against vaccines in the past and steadfastly refuses to admit whether he has received any shots against the coronavirus.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Instagram that he spoke to Djokovic while he was being held at the airport. He said the Serbian authorities were taking measures “so that the harassment of the best player in the world is stopped as soon as possible.”

Djokovic’s initial revelation on social media that he was going to Australia became a hot political topic this week. Many Australians who have struggled to get quickly available and often expensive antigen tests, or who have been forced into isolation, have realized a double standard.

Critics question on what grounds Djokovic can get an exemption, and supporters argue that he has privacy and freedom of choice.

Tensions have increased amid another COVID-19 spike. The state recorded six deaths and 21,997 new cases on Thursday, the biggest daily increase in cases in Victoria since the pandemic began.

Australian Open director Craig Tiley on Wednesday defended the “entirely legal application and process” and insisted there was no special treatment for Djokovic.

The Victorian Government requires only fully vaccinated players, staff, fans and officials to enter Melbourne Park when the Australian Open begins on January 17.

Only 26 people associated with the league applied for a medical waiver and, Tiley said, only a “few” were approved. None of those players have been publicly identified.

Among acceptable reasons for an exemption are acute serious medical conditions, a serious adverse reaction to a previous dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or evidence of COVID-19 infection. within the previous six months.

Djokovic tested positive for coronavirus in June 2020 after he played in a series of exhibition matches he organized without social distancing amid the pandemic.

Concerns about visa status initially heightened on Wednesday when Home Secretary Karen Andrews said while state governments and tennis organizers “could allow a player not to be vaccinated” compete in the Australian Open, the Commonwealth government will enforce our demands at the Australian. boundary,.”

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Associated Press writer Dusan Stojanovic of Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report.

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