AUSTRALIA.- In the midst of an international scandal, the world’s number one tennis player Novak Djokovic appealed his deportation from Australia after the border authorities revoked his visa for not presenting the requirements to enter the country. The multiple champion remains locked in a hotel room set up as an immigrant detention center at the Park Hotel in Carlton.
Djokovic, who may be expelled from Australia in the next few hours, filed an appeal with the Federal Circuit Court to be able to stay and thus dispute, from next January 17, the Open that is held every January in that country and where both he as Spaniard Rafael Nadal they aspire to win the 21st Grand Slam title.
According to the local newspaper The Age, lawyers for the 34-year-old Serbian star appeared in an online hearing after Djokovic’s visa was canceled upon arrival in Australia. With this presentation, the lawyers obtained a precautionary measure that prevents the Australian authorities from deporting the tennis player until the next hearing.
Federal Circuit Judge Anthony Kelly said there was a delay in receiving the petition for review of the visa decisions and the temporary veto on the deportation of Djokovic. A lawyer for the local government, meanwhile, agreed that the tennis ace should not be expelled until Friday at the earliest.
Djokovic’s trip was mired in controversy long before he landed on Australian soil. The conservative federal government and the left-wing executive in the state of Victoria, where Melbourne is the venue for the tournament, appeared to have conflicting views on what constitutes acceptable medical grounds for an exemption from Australia’s vaccination policy for foreigners.
Djokovic had announced on social media on Tuesday that he had an “ exemption permit. ” The world tennis number one landed in Melbourne on Wednesday with a medical exemption issued by the regional government. That safe conduct apparently freed him from the strict vaccination requirements that were implemented for athletes, staff and fans attending the Australian Open, the first major of the year. Although it seemed to be able to access the tournament, it was not like that for entering the country.
Rafael Nadal He did not want to be left out of the scandal that arose around his opponent: “Djokovic made his own decisions, and everyone is free to do so, but that has some consequences”. The Spanish tennis player said that his colleague must bear the consequences of not having been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Nadal contracted coronavirus in December of last year. “I had Covid, I was vaccinated twice. If this is done, you have no problem playing here. That’s the only thing that’s clear, ”he said in Melbourne, after winning his first singles match on the ATP tour.
“For me, the only clear thing is that if you have been vaccinated you can play the Australian Open and anywhere, and in my opinion the world has suffered enough not to follow the rules”explained the Spanish.
With information from the AFP and AP agencies