Novak Djokovic finally leaves Australia after losing his lawsuit

After two weeks legitimacy sometimes feels like a real tennis match, an Australian judge decided that the world does not. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic not welcome in Australia. The unvaccinated athlete left the country on an Emirates flight at 10:30pm on Sunday, ahead of the Australian Open.

Djokovic has been granted a medical exemption from the strict travel vaccine rule by the Australian Tennis Association by the Tennis Association of Australia to allow the No 1 superstar to compete at the Australian Open, starting in Monday. But when he arrived in Australia on January 6, border authorities detained him in an immigrant hotel, citing the tennis association’s lack of authority over medical duties.

Four days later, a judge reinstated his visa as he recovered from COVID in December, which was the only way to carry out his immunization duties. But photos and interviews showing a Djokovic without a mask in the days after his positive result angered many and turned his story into a global debate about vaccines. -ask for. The difference in when he found out he had COVID and where he went on a trip make it clear that he – or someone – knowingly or unintentionally lied on Australian forms.

Australia’s health minister later revoked his visa, citing that he was becoming a symbol of the embargo ministry and that his presence was a threat to national order. . He has been allowed to stay while he appeals the health minister’s decision, which was denied on Sunday.

“I am extremely disappointed with the Court’s decision to dismiss the Minister’s request for reconsideration of my visa cancellation decision, which means I cannot stay in Australia and participate in the Australian Open,” Djokovic said. “I respect the Court’s decision and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities regarding my departure from the country.”

A panel of three judges ruled that Djokovic’s appeal against Australian Health Minister Alex Hawke’s cancellation of his visa for health reasons did not meet legal requirements and that Hawke acted in the country’s interest. .

Djokovic’s presence in Australia, for reasons of his status and reasons for his publicly expressed views and behavior, may affect others who are not vaccinated or boosted or acted inconsistently with public health advice and policy,” Hawke wrote to the court defending his actions. “Right or wrong, he is seen as espousing an anti-subversive view.”

The story upset the Australian Open players, who felt the competition had been compromised by Djokovic’s antics. Many told the star he should just take the collision and others blamed the Australian Tennis Association for its mixed message.

“Novak would never have come to Australia if he had not been authorized to enter this country by the government,” Canadian tennis star and founder of the Professional Tennis Athletes Association Vasek Pospisil said on Sunday. Japan. “He will skip the Australian Open and go home to his family and no one will talk about this mess.” He went on to say that there is a “political agenda” in Australia. “This is not his fault,” he said. “He did not force entry into the country and did not make his own rules. He’s ready at home.”

The incident is seen as a blow to the anti-vax movement that has seen Djokovic as a sort of cult hero. Serbian President Aleksander Vucic criticized Australian authorities for the chaos, saying they “thought they humiliated Djokovic” but instead “humiliated themselves”.

“If you’ve been told that an unvaccinated person cannot enter Australia, then Djoovic either won’t come or has been vaccinated,” he said. “A witch hunt has literally hit a person and a country because they wanted to show Novak Djokovic how the world order works and how they can treat whoever they choose. this.”