Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic flew out of Aus-tralia on Sunday after a court upheld the govern-ment’s decision to cancel his visa, capping days of drama over the country’s Covid-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status.
The unanimous ruling by a three-judge Federal Court bench dealt a final blow to Djokovic’s hopes of chasing a record 21st Grand Slam win at the Aus-tralian Open that starts on Monday.
The Serbian player went to the airport in Mel-bourne just hours later. Federal agents escorted him and his team from the business lounge to the gate, where he boarded an Emirates flight bound for Du-bai. The flight took off shortly before 11 p.m. (1200 GMT).
In a rollercoaster ride, the world’s top men’s player was first detained by immigration authorities on Jan. 6, ordered released by a court on Jan. 10 and then detained on Saturday again pending Sunday’s court hearing.
Djokovic said after the ruling he was extremely disappointed as it meant he could not take part in the tournament.
“I respect the Courts ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my depar-ture from the country,” he said in a statement and wished the tournament well.
Djokovic, 34, had appealed against Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s use of discretionary powers to cancel his visa.
The minister had said Djokovic could be a threat to public order because his presence would encour-age anti-vaccination sentiment amidst Australia’s worst coronavirus outbreak.
Chief Justice James Allsop said the court ruling was based on the lawfulness and legality of the minister’s decision in the context of the three grounds of appeal Djokovic’s legal team lodged.
“It is no part of the function of the court to de-cide upon the merits or wisdom of the decision,” Allsop said, adding that the three judges were unanimous in their ruling. Full reasoning behind the ruling would be released in the coming days, he said. It was not immediately clear when Djokovic would leave the country.
The player’s visa saga has dominated headlines around the world and fuelled a debate over the rights of people who opt to remain unvaccinated as governments take measures to protect their people from the two-year coronavirus pandemic.
The controversy became a political touchstone for Prime Minister Scott Morrison as he prepares for an election due by May. His government has faced criticism for its handling of Djokovic’s visa applica-tion.
Morrison welcomed the court’s ruling, saying the decision will help “keep our borders strong and keep Australians safe.”
“It’s now time to get on with the Australian Open and get back to enjoying tennis over the sum-mer,” he said in a statement.
Djokovic had been granted a visa to enter Aus-tralia, with a Covid-19 infection on Dec. 16 provid-ing the basis for a medical exemption from Austra-lia’s requirements that all visitors be vaccinated.
The exemption was organised through Tennis Australia. That exemption prompted widespread anger in Australia, which has undergone some of the world’s toughest Covid-19 lockdowns and where more than 90% of adults are vaccinated.
The government said recent infection alone did not meet its standards for an exemption. Weeping fans But the player also had some support, espe-cially in his native Serbia and from Serbians living in Australia. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Sunday, “I think that the court decision is scandal-ous, I am disappointed, I think it demonstrated how the rule of law is functioning or better to say not functioning in some other countries.”
In Melbourne, around 70 Djokovic fans, includ-ing young children, sang folk songs and chanted in the Federal Court plaza while they waited for the courts ruling.
They gathered around a loudspeaker to hear the judge reading out the decision, but it took several minutes after the court adjourned before they worked out that Djokovic had lost.
Two women were weeping, while others started up chants for a short while before the crowd dis-persed.
“What they did today is everything except jus-tice, said Natasha Marjnovic, 44, a Djokovic sup-porter who was wiping away tears.—AFP
