Djokovic clarifies movements, Australian visa saga continues

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MELBOURNE – Novak Djokovic knew he'd tested affirmative for COVID-19 erstwhile helium attended a paper interrogation and photograph sprout astatine his tennis halfway successful Serbia past month, saying Wednesday helium made an “error of judgment" and should person instantly gone into isolation.

Djokovic made the admittance erstwhile helium moved to clarify “ongoing misinformation” astir his movements aft helium tested affirmative past month. He besides blamed “human error” by his enactment squad for a mistake connected the question papers helium utilized a week agone to participate Australia, wherever his visa was revoked and past reinstated successful a COVID-19 vaccination saga that has overshadowed the days starring up to the Australian Open.

A connection was posted connected Djokovic’s societal media accounts portion the men’s tennis No. 1 was successful Rod Laver Arena holding a signifier session, his 3rd connected the tournament's main tribunal since being released from migration detention.

The nine-time and defending Australian Open champion is successful limbo earlier the year’s archetypal tennis large starts adjacent Monday, a week aft helium won a ineligible conflict allowing him to enactment successful the country.

But helium inactive faces the imaginable of deportation due to the fact that he’s not vaccinated for COVID-19, a determination wholly astatine the discretion of Australia's migration curate if deemed to beryllium successful the nationalist involvement for wellness and information reasons. Deportation could effect successful sanctions ranging up to a three-year prohibition from entering Australia, a daunting imaginable for a subordinate who has won astir fractional of his record-equaling 20 Grand Slam singles titles here.

Court documents detailing Djokovic's affirmative trial sparked speculation implicit the prima player's attendance astatine events successful his autochthonal Serbia past month. Further questions besides were raised astir errors connected his migration signifier that could perchance effect successful the cancellation of his visa.

On the form, Djokovic said helium had not traveled successful the 14 days earlier his formation to Australia, contempt being seen successful Spain and Serbia successful that two-week period.

Djokovic described caller commentary arsenic “hurtful” and said helium wanted to code it successful the involvement of "alleviating broader interest successful the assemblage astir my beingness successful Australia.”

The 34-year-old Serb said he’d taken accelerated tests that were antagonistic and helium was asymptomatic earlier helium received his affirmative effect from an approved PRC trial helium undertook retired of an “abundance of caution” aft attending a hoops crippled successful Belgrade connected Dec. 14.

He received the effect precocious Dec. 17, helium said, and scrapped each his commitments but the long-standing interrogation with L'Equipe.

“I felt obligated to spell up ... but did guarantee I socially distanced and wore a disguise but erstwhile my photograph was being taken,” Djokovic said. “While I went location aft the interrogation to isolate for the required period, connected reflection, this was an mistake of judgment."

He addressed the question declaration by saying it was submitted by his enactment squad and “my cause sincerely apologizes for the administrative mistake successful ticking the incorrect box.”

“This was a quality mistake and surely not deliberate,” helium wrote. “The squad has provided further accusation to the Australian Government to clarify this matter.”

The determination could instrumentality a while, though the gully to find brackets for the Australian Open is acceptable to instrumentality spot Thursday. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s bureau issued a connection saying Djokovic’s ineligible squad had filed further documents against the the imaginable cancellation of his visa and added: “Naturally, this volition impact the timeframe for a decision.”

At contented is whether helium has a valid exemption to rules requiring vaccination to participate Australia since helium precocious recovered from COVID-19.

Panels backed by the Victoria authorities authorities and Tennis Australia approved his petition for a aesculapian exemption based connected his having tested affirmative for the coronavirus successful the past six months. The Australian Border Force rejected his exemption and canceled his visa, sending him into migration detention for 4 nights earlier a justice successful the Federal Circuit Court overturned the determination connected procedural grounds.

He was among the 26 radical who applied for a aesculapian exemption, and Tennis Australia said lone a “handful" were granted. Subsequent investigations resulted successful 2 different radical progressive successful the athletics leaving the country.

There's increasing interest successful the community, meanwhile, with COVID-19 cases surging.

Victoria state, whose superior Melbourne is hosting the Australian Open starting adjacent week, reported 21 deaths Wednesday on with 40,127 caller cases.

Australia-based lawyer Greg Barns, who is experienced successful visa cases, told The Associated Press that if the migration curate does instrumentality action, helium could take to simply cancel Djokovic’s visa oregon springiness the tennis prima announcement of his volition to cancel it.

Barns said Hawke has the "personal power" to cancel the visa without having to springiness written announcement oregon a tenable clip for Djokovic to respond.

If Djokovic's visa is canceled, his lawyers could spell backmost to tribunal to use for an injunction that would forestall him from being forced to permission the country.

If the authorities does contented a announcement of intent, Barns said it could springiness Djokovic up to 9 days to respond, depending connected erstwhile helium receives it.

“That mightiness beryllium a mode of giving Djokovic a accidental successful the tourney and past kicking him retired astatine the extremity of that,” Barns said. “In my experience, it’s comparatively uncommon for them to alteration their mind.”

Sydney-based migration lawyer Simon Jeans said there's “a batch of fudges" successful the instrumentality and the migration section would beryllium taking its clip to marque definite immoderate visa cancellation was “appeal-proof."

“It’s not an casual task due to the fact that if they cancel his visa and past Djokovic wins (an appeal) and helium misses the accidental to compete, helium could marque a assertion against the section for the prize wealth and each his ineligible fees,” Jeans said.

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McGuirk reported from Canberra, Australia.

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