The novel between Novak Djokovic and the Australian authorities approached a resolution during the hearing held this Saturday night -Sunday morning in the oceanic country- by the Federal Court together with the representatives of the local Ministry of Migration and the tennis player’s lawyers, who requested the same after appealing the decision to cancel his visa for the second time in the run-up to the first Grand Slam of the season.
“There is not a single line of evidence in the material provided by the minister or anything resembling proof that the mere presence of Mr. Djokovic in Australia provokes in some way, to use the expression of the minister, an anti-vaccine sentiment”, considered the Serb’s legal team, the first to speak during the hearing that began at 7:30 p.m. Argentina- and was about to finish in the Australian afternoon -14 hours ahead of our country-.
Djokovic’s lawyers alleged that the reasons for the cancellation of his client’s visa were “wrong” and “irrational”, pointing against the argument used on Friday by Migration Minister Alex Hawke, who considered that the presence of the Serb could arouse “anti-vaccine sentiments” in the population and “alter public order”, sufficient reasons to remove permission to be in Australia – for the second time since his arrival – and force the tennis player to return to his seclusion in an immigration detention center in Melbourne.
During another part of the appeal, the player’s representatives used a phrase that will have awakened memories for Argentine fans in the audience, broadcast live on YouTube: “The minister tries to cut us off at the knees”, almost an evocation of the Maradonian “they cut off my legs”.
The defense of 34-year-old Serbian, who has not been vaccinated against covid-19 and publicly opposed compulsory immunization, stated that the minister’s arguments will harm “a man of great reputation” who has a “good medical reason” for not being vaccinated.
For its part, the legal team of the Ministry pointed out the deliberate refusal of the Serb to apply the doses against the coronavirus required to enter Australia. “At this point in the pandemic, he could have already been vaccinated if he had wanted to. Even before the vaccines are available, he was against them”, they exposed as a way to prove the “anti-vaccine sentiment” of the Serb.
“His presence in Australia strongly proves his anti-vaccine stance. He even has a history of ignoring security measures, as when he was infected with the virus he showed himself in an in-person interview removing his mask. The minister believes that his presence in Australia will encourage others to imitate his actions.”
The case about the entrance to the country of the Serbian, who seeks to participate in the Australian Open to win the tenth trophy of this championship and become the most awarded tennis player in history with 21 Grand Slams over the 20 of the Spanish Rafael Nadal and the Swiss Roger Federer, coincides with a rebound in infections in the country linked to the Ómicron variant.
Djokovic traveled to Melbourne from Spain on January 5 with a medical exemption for not being vaccinated due to having been infected with covid-19 in recent months to play the tournament where He plans to face his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic (78th) in the first round. But as soon as he set foot in Australia, everything turned into controversy and uncertainty.
Australia, which applied one of the strongest policies in the world against the pandemic, which included the closure of its international borders for more than 18 months, It only allows the entry of foreigners who have the complete schedule of the vaccine against covid-19 or with a medical exemption for very specific cases.
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