Novak Djokovic has been granted a visa that will allow him to play in the Australian Open in January bringing an end to a multifaceted saga to a close.
According to several local news media outlets in Australia, immigration Minister Andrew Giles has overturned the Serbian’s ban allowing Djokovic to compete in Melbourne once again.
Djokovic, the defending champion at the time, was deported from Australia ahead of the first grandslam this year after failing to provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19 or giving a valid reason for an exemption.
As a result, he was barred from entering the country for three years but appears to have been granted an exemption from the rule.
Australian Open’s tournament director Craig Tiley said this month that Djokovic was always welcome if he could get a visa but that Tennis Australia was unable to lobby for the 21-time grandslam winner.
Australia scrapped a rule in July which required international travellers to declare their Covid vaccination status paving the way for Djokovic to say in October that he had received “positive signs” about the status of efforts to overturn his ban.
He was also not at US Open for that very same reason but did not travel to the Flushing Meadows due to prior knowledge of the rules.
With Djokovic absent from the Australian Open last year due to his visa issues, Rafael Nadal added his 21st grandslam title to move ahead of the Serbian and Roger Federer before adding another at the French Open.
Djokovic, currently busy with the ATP Finals, managed to win Wimbledon to close the gap and will look to add his 10th Australian Open to equal Nadal in January next year.
