Novak Djokovic could still have visa canceled despite legal victory over Australia
Novak Djokovic resumed training on Monday after winning a legal battle in Australia, but authorities may still look for a way to cancel his visa ahead of the Australian Open.
Djokovic has been against vaccine mandates and is believed to not have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Australia has some of the harshest COVID restrictions in the world, which led to questions about whether Djokovic and other players would be allowed to compete in the Australian Open. The world’s No. 1 player announced last week that he had received a medical exemption, but Australian authorities detained him and canceled his visa when he arrived in the country last Wednesday.
Djokovic’s attorneys argued that he qualified for a vaccine exemption since he recently recovered from COVID-19. A federal judge ruled in Djokovic’s favor on Monday and reinstated his visa. The judge said Djokovic was not given ample time to consult with his attorneys before the decision was made to cancel his visa and transport him to a quarantine hotel.
However, Djokovic may not be out of the woods just yet. According to The Associated Press, government lawyer Christopher Tran told the judge that the immigration minister “will consider whether to exercise a personal power of cancellation.”
A spokesperson for Alex Hawke, Australia’s minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, said Monday that Hawke is still considering cancelling Djokovic’s visa.
“Following today’s Federal Circuit and Family Court determination on a procedural ground, it remains within Immigration Minister Hawke’s discretion to consider canceling Mr. Djokovic’s visa under his personal power of cancellation within section 133C(3) of the Migration Act,” the spokesperson said.
The Australian Open begins on Jan. 17. Djokovic, 34, is tied for the record with 20 career grand slam wins. The Australian Open, which he’s won nine times, is his best major by far.
Photo: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
