Before the Australian Open: No visa for Djokovic

Australia has withdrawn the visa from tennis world number one Djokovic. Because of health protection, this is in the public interest. Djokovic refuses to be vaccinated against Corona.

He may, he may not, he may – and now again not. On a Friday shortly before 6 p.m. local time, Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced in a written statement that he was revoking the visa for the world number one. Because of health protection, this is in the public interest. But what does that mean specifically for the Australia Open?

“It is a rule that Mr Djokovic is now being held in a deportation center again,” explains former Immigration Minister Abdul Rizwi. “I suspect it will be the same deportation hotel that he was previously housed in. His lawyers have already applied for an injunction so that Mr Djokovic can still play at the Australian Open. A judge will take all of that into account – and make a decision.”

Djokovic has appealed

Djokovic’s lawyers asked a court to prevent an expulsion. They’re aiming for a hearing on Sunday. So it’s not completely out of the question that the best tennis player in the world will play at the Australian Open from Monday – but it’s extremely unlikely. Observers do not expect a decision on Djokovic’s appeal before the end of the Grand Slam tournament.

Immigration Secretary Alex Hawke took a long time to cancel the visa – the public interest is huge. His office writes that he didn’t want to make any mistakes and carefully checked all the facts.

Contradictions in the case of alleged Covid disease

There were the contradictions in the allegedly overcome Covid disease, which he gave as the reason for entering the country without vaccination, the suspicion of manipulation of his allegedly positive PCR test. Or the entry form that was filled out incorrectly: it asks whether he has traveled in the past two weeks – and Djokovic ticked “no”.

The tennis pro, who lives in Monaco, played both in Spain and in his home country Serbia during this time. While that looks more like a careless mistake than a willful lie, the rules are very clear that misrepresentation is a serious misdemeanor.

Minister Hawke may have long considered overriding a court ruling. On Monday, a court in Melbourne declared Djokovic’s deportation illegal because the Serbs had been put under too much pressure when questioned at the airport.

Djokovic fans protest

Serbian fans wrapped in red, blue and white flags chanted “Free Nole” after the verdict – it sounded like a freedom fighter was being celebrated. Riots broke out and the police used pepper spray.

The scenes in Melbourne’s streets now after the ministerial decision do not bode well, nor do the voices from Belgrade. A tennis player stylized as a national hero, Djokovic’s father comparing him to Jesus, his mother accusing Australian authorities of torturing her son.

For the vast majority of Australians, however, the Minister for Immigration must have spoken out of their hearts when the Serbs were kicked out.

A Melbourne bystander summed up the feelings of most: “He’s a selfish unvaccinated will-o’-the-wisp who’s running from the truth and shows no respect for what we’ve been through here in Victoria. You should get him on the next plane asap go home and his father should have a serious word with his son instead of spreading nonsense and creating an absolute mess in Serbia.”

Melbourne survived record lockdown

The Australian Open city of Melbourne has had 262 days of lockdown – that’s a world record. Families were separated – many did not see their loved ones for a year and a half, were not allowed to attend weddings or funerals. More than 90 percent of all Australians are now fully vaccinated, but the numbers are rising rapidly again, with new infections breaking through the million mark for the first time. The sympathies for the self-confessed opponent of vaccination Djokovic are therefore manageable Down Under.