Serbia’s President has responded after world No. 1 tennis star Novak Djokovic’s Australian visa was cancelled
Tennis star Novak Djokovic has had his visa to enter Australia dramatically revoked on his arrival in Melbourne.
The world number one was held at Melbourne airport for several hours on Thursday, before border forces announced he had not met entry rules and would be deported.
Djokovic has reportedly now been taken to a government detention hotel pending his departure on an outbound flight.
The star’s visa cancellation comes amid a backlash over a vaccine exemption that Mr. Djokovic revealed he was granted in order to play in the Australian Open.
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison released a tweet shortly after, stating that no one was above the country’s rules. At a press conference on Thursday Mr Morrison said he had been advised that a medical exemption was not in place for the player’s entry.
Australian media reports suggest Djokovic could pursue a legal appeal or apply for a new visa so he can re-enter and play in the tournament.
Events unfolded shortly after his arrival in Melbourne at a time when authorities noticed that his team had not requested a visa that permits medical exemptions for being unvaccinated.
Mr Djokovic has not spoken about his vaccination status publicly, but last year revealed that he was “opposed to vaccination”.
In a statement, the Australian Border Force said Djokovic “failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled.
“Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia,” the agency added.
Ticker NEWS affiliate network Reuters reported that the player was later taken to a hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton which is used for immigration detention.
The facility has been the site of COVID outbreaks.
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt earlier described Djokovic’s treatment as “tough” but “fair” and said “it’s one rule for all under this Australian government”.
