Novak Djokovic Deported From Australia

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Novak Djokovic Deported From Australia
By Burton Vanderfliet, Lawn Tennis Analyst, Posted: Tuesday, February 22, 2022 12:20pm PST USA

Melbourne-- Last month at the Australian Open in Melbourne, a stunning upset was posted even before the tournament began as the men's world number one and three time defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia was deported from Australia only days before the tournament was set to begin.

In December Australian officials revealed that Djokovic would be subject to the same Covid 19 vaccination rules as anyone else. Djokovic had so far refused to disclose his vaccination status.

Then the 34 year old Djokovic posted on his Instagram page in January that he had been

Novak Djokovic of Serbia

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke used his personal power to cancel Djokovic's visa a second time.

granted a medical exemption to participate in the Australian Open due to having contracted Covid 19 only weeks ago.

However on January 5th Djokovic was detained for several days by the Australian Border Force in a hotel near the airport after being initially questioned at the Melbourne airport for not meeting federal coronavirus requirements.

Djokovic's visa was canceled then reinstated after the Serbian's lawyers appealed.

Djokovic was then seen training at the Australian Open's tennis courts as helicopters flew overhead and photographers snapped photos from the stands.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke then used his personal power to cancel Djokovic's visa again.

Djokovic appealed for a second time but was unsuccessful this time and was soon seen at the Melbourne airport leaving the country with his coach Goran Ivanesavic.

Hawke's reason for deporting Djokovic was that the tennis superstar's presence in the country risked fanning anti-vaccine sentiment.

And for Djokovic, the deportation also comes with a three year ban from the country which could be appealed with a current Covid 19 vaccination.

However Djokovic this week has revealed that he is willing to miss tournaments that require him to be vaccinated against Covid 19.

It's not clear yet if Djokovic's vaccine refusal will also exclude him from tennis' three remaining grand slam tournaments: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.