Brisbane, Australia - Novak Djokovic's chance to play for his 10th Australian Open title was thrown into jeopardy on Thursday after the country denied him entry and revoked his visa as he failed to meet exemption requirements from COVID-19 vaccination rules. failed to complete.
Top-ranked Djokovic announced on social media on Tuesday that he had "exemption allowed" and landed in Australia late Wednesday after receiving a medical exemption from the Victoria state government, protecting him from strict vaccination rules for this year. was expected. First major tennis tournament.
But the border officials did not accept the exemption. The Australian Border Force issued a statement saying that Djokovic failed to meet the entry requirements.
"The rule is very clear," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a news conference on Thursday. "You need a medical waiver. He didn't have a valid medical exemption. We call the border, and that's where it's enforced."
Djokovic's lawyers presented a challenge to Australia's Federal Circuit Court against the cancellation of his visa, but his hearing has been adjourned until Monday.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said after the visa cancellation Djokovic's medical exemption was reviewed by border officials, who "looked at the sincerity and the evidence behind it."
The president of Djokovic's native Serbia denounced the "harassment" of Starr, who was detained overnight at Melbourne Tulamarin Airport. The 20-time major winner had to wait more than eight hours at the airport to find out if he would be allowed in. He was later taken to a secure hotel near downtown Melbourne, which is handled by immigration officials.
Djokovic's lawyer Nick Wood told the judge that Tennis Australia had advised him that they should be made aware of his participation in the tournament by Tuesday. In response, Kelly said, "The tail won't wag the dog here."
The Australian Open is starting on January 17.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corp., Kelly asked during the brief hearing whether Djokovic had "tennis practice facilities" at the hotel where he was detained, and if not, whether he could be taken to that hotel. is the one who did this.
In a Twitter post on Thursday, Morrison wrote, "No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical for Australia, which has one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we continue to remain vigilant." "
Later in response to questions about confusion over individual state and federal requirements, Morrison said that having the correct documentation upon arrival was up to individual passengers.
The prime minister rejected the suggestion that Djokovic was being dropped, but acknowledged that other players could be in Australia on a similar medical exemption.
"One of the things that the Border Force does is that they act on intelligence to direct their attention to potential arrivals," he said. "When you give people a public statement about what they have, and are going to do, they draw significant attention to themselves."
Anyone who does "whether they're a celebrity, a politician, a tennis player... they can expect to be asked more questions than others before you arrive."
The medical exemption, vetted by two independent panels of experts and based on information supplied anonymously by players and taken at face value, allowed Djokovic to play at the Australian Open, regardless of vaccination status for COVID-19. was designed to allow.
He has spoken out against vaccines in the past and has consistently refused to admit whether he has received a shot against the coronavirus.
His father, Srijan Djokovic, told the B92 internet portal that his son was "kept in a room that no one can enter" at the airport and was guarded by two police officers.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Instagram that he had spoken to Djokovic while he was at the airport, ahead of the decision that his visa had been revoked. Vucic said the Serbian authorities are taking measures "so that the harassment of the world's best tennis player can be stopped in the shortest possible time."
Morrison said he knew he had been "represented" by the Serbian embassy in Canberra and denied the harassment claims.
"Australia has sovereign boundaries and clear rules that are non-discriminatory," Morrison said.
Serbian media reported that Vucic had summoned the Australian ambassador to Belgrade and demanded that Djokovic be released and allowed to play.
Djokovic's revelation on social media that he was going to Australia to get a record 21st major title immediately became a hot political topic, with many Australians outraged that he had been allowed to enter the country. Critics questioned what grounds he might have for an exemption, and supporters argued that he had a right to privacy and freedom of choice.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tilly defended the "entirely legitimate application and process" and insisted there was no special treatment for Djokovic.
The Victorian Government has mandated that only fully vaccinated players, staff members, fans and officials may enter Melbourne Park when the tournament begins.
Only 26 people associated with the tournament applied for medical exemptions and, Tilly said, only a "handful" were allowed. None of those players have been publicly identified.
Acceptable reasons for exemption include serious major medical conditions, a serious adverse reaction to a previous dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, or evidence of a COVID-19 infection within the past six months. However, Morrison said on Thursday that Tennis Australia was advised several months ago that recent infections did not meet exemption criteria.
Djokovic tested positive for the coronavirus in June 2020 after he played in a series of exhibition matches which he organized in Serbia and Croatia without social distancing amid the pandemic.
Australia saw another day of rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on Thursday, amid fears that a change in testing requirements could affect the full scale of the outbreak. The country recorded 72,000 cases from 64,000 a day earlier, while hospitalizations rose by 2,990 to 3,267 and the number of patients in intensive care rose to 208 from 196. The state of Victoria recorded six deaths and 21,997 new cases, the biggest daily jump in cases since the pandemic. started.