Report: Djokovic back in immigration detention in Australia

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MELBOURNE – Novak Djokovic was reported to beryllium backmost successful migration detention Saturday aft his ineligible situation to debar being deported from Australia for being unvaccinated for COVID-19 was moved to a higher court.

A Federal Court hearing has been scheduled for Sunday, a time earlier the men’s No. 1-ranked tennis subordinate and nine-time Australian Open champion was owed to statesman his rubric defence astatine the archetypal Grand Slam tennis tourney of the year.

Police closed down a lane down the gathering wherever Djokovic’s lawyers are based and 2 vehicles exited the gathering mid-afternoon section clip connected Saturday. In tv footage, Djokovic could beryllium seen wearing a look disguise successful the backmost of a conveyance adjacent an migration detention hotel.

The Australian Associated Press reported that Djokovic was backmost successful detention. He spent 4 nights confined to a edifice adjacent downtown Melbourne earlier being released past Monday erstwhile he won a tribunal situation connected procedural grounds against his archetypal visa cancellation.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke connected Friday blocked the 34-year-old Serb’s visa, which was primitively revoked erstwhile helium landed astatine a Melbourne airdrome connected Jan. 5.

Deportation from Australia tin pb to a three-year prohibition connected returning to the country, though that whitethorn beryllium waived, depending connected the circumstances.

Djokovic has acknowledged that his question declaration was incorrect due to the fact that it failed to bespeak that helium had been successful aggregate countries implicit the 2 weeks earlier his accomplishment successful Australia.

He has won the past 3 Australian Opens, portion of his wide Grand Slam haul of 20 championships. He is tied with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for the astir by a antheral successful history.

In a station connected societal media Wednesday that constituted his astir extended nationalist comments yet connected the episode, Djokovic blamed his cause for checking the incorrect container connected the form, calling it “a quality mistake and surely not deliberate.”

In that aforesaid post, Djokovic said helium went up with an interrogation and a photograph sprout with a French paper successful Serbia contempt knowing helium had tested affirmative for COVID-19 2 days earlier. Djokovic has been attempting to usage what helium says was a affirmative trial taken connected Dec. 16 to warrant a aesculapian exemption that would let him to skirt the vaccine request connected the grounds that helium already had COVID-19.

Hawke said helium canceled the visa connected “health and bully bid grounds, connected the ground that it was successful the nationalist involvement to bash so.” His connection added that Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s authorities “is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, peculiarly successful narration to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The main thought of the entreaty of Hawke’s decision, according to the athlete’s lawyers, was that it was not based connected the wellness hazard that Djokovic mightiness airs by not being vaccinated, but connected however helium mightiness beryllium perceived by those who are opposed to vaccine mandates oregon skeptical of the vaccines' efficacy.

Morrison himself welcomed Djokovic’s pending deportation. The occurrence has touched a nervus successful Australia, and peculiarly successful Victoria state, wherever locals went done hundreds of days of lockdowns during the worst of the pandemic and determination is simply a vaccination complaint among adults of much than 90%.

Australia faces a monolithic surge successful microorganism cases driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. On Friday, the federation reported 130,000 caller cases, including astir 35,000 successful Victoria state. Although galore infected radical aren’t getting arsenic sick arsenic they did successful erstwhile outbreaks, the surge is inactive putting terrible strain connected the wellness system, with much than 4,400 radical hospitalized. It has besides disrupted workplaces and proviso chains.

“This pandemic has been incredibly hard for each Australian, but we person stuck unneurotic and saved lives and livelihoods. ... Australians person made galore sacrifices during this pandemic, and they rightly expect the effect of those sacrifices to beryllium protected,” Morrison said Friday. “This is what the Minister is doing successful taking this enactment today.”

Djokovic's supporters successful Serbia person been dismayed by the visa cancellations.

Everyone astatine the Australian Open — including players, their enactment teams and spectators — is required to beryllium vaccinated. Djokovic is not inoculated.

His exemption was approved by the Victoria authorities authorities and Tennis Australia, seemingly allowing him to get a visa to travel. But the Australian Border Force rejected the exemption and canceled his visa erstwhile helium landed successful the country.

Djokovic spent 4 nights successful an migration detention edifice earlier a justice overturned that decision. That ruling allowed him to determination freely astir Australia and helium has been practicing astatine Melbourne Park daily.

“It’s not a bully concern for anyone,” said Andy Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and five-time runner-up astatine the Australian Open. “It conscionable seems similar it’s dragged connected for rather a agelong clip now.”

According to Grand Slam rules, if Djokovic is forced to propulsion retired of the tourney earlier the bid of play for Day 1 is announced, No. 5 effect Andrey Rublev would determination into Djokovic’s spot successful the bracket.

If Djokovic withdraws from the tourney aft Monday’s docket is released, helium would beryllium replaced successful the tract by what’s known arsenic a “lucky loser” — a subordinate who loses successful the qualifying tourney but gets into the main gully due to the fact that of different player’s exit earlier contention has started.

And if Djokovic plays successful a lucifer — oregon much — and past is told helium tin nary longer enactment successful the tournament, his adjacent hostile would simply beforehand to the pursuing circular and determination would beryllium nary replacement.

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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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