The number one in the world has been arrested and this Sunday it will be decided if he is finally deported
The Serbian Novak Djokovic was arrested this Friday night in Australia after going to testify before immigration officials, as confirmed by Reuters and CNN, after the withdrawal of his visa for the second time for health reasons, considering irregular the medical exemption that It initially allowed him to get around the mandatory 14-day quarantine imposed by the country for any unvaccinated visitor.
The fate of the tennis player will be decided this Sunday, when the Federal Court will rule on whether he is finally deported, which presumably would also mean the punishment of three years without being able to enter Australia. In addition, he would be separated from the Australian Open and could not defend his title.
After Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercised his personal right to cancel Djokovic’s visa, the case, far from being closed, took a new turn this Friday. A few minutes after Hawke’s decision, which used the defense of public health to expel Djokovic, was known, the Serb appealed with the intention of buying time. This allowed him not to have to leave Australia on the next flight to Europe and to be entitled to a preview that lasted until midnight on Friday in Melbourne. Judge Anthony Kelly, who ruled in the Serb’s favor on Monday, was practically swept out of bed by Djokovic’s lawyers and the Australian government, and a proceeding was held to determine next steps.
The first thing that the Belgrade tennis player’s lawyers achieved is to delay the deportation, at the same time that they claimed that it is based on an attempt by the Government to punish the “anti-vaccine sentiment” of their client, something they consider “completely irrational”. It is the first time that Djokovic’s defense has used this argument, despite the fact that the player has never declared himself as such, although he did oppose the use of the mandatory vaccine on the circuit. His vaccination status was a mystery until he needed a medical exemption to enter the oceanic country earlier this year.
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