Novak Djokovic says he only went to Australia on Wednesday, because he was assured that he had all the documents from the Australian Home Office in order.
Tennis player, the newspaper writes Age, claims that a few days before arriving in Melbourne, he received a letter stating that he had fulfilled all the requirements for entering the country without quarantine. The newspaper also cites the reasons why the player asked for the exemption, as Australia only allows entry to those who are vaccinated against Covid-19, with a few exceptions.
Since then, the world’s No. 1 has been stuck in a hotel in Melbourne after his visa was revoked while awaiting trial on Monday.
In documents submitted to the court by his lawyers, Djokovic claims to have received permission to travel on January 1. “The transport declaration was analyzed and it was indicated that it meets all the requirements for arriving without quarantine.”
The appeal he filed against the deportation says he was granted an entry visa on 18 November 2021 and an exemption issued by the Australian Federation Medical Council on 30 December, which confirms the reason for the request for exemption: a positive PCR test. on Covid-19 on December 16, but no symptoms.
There are also details about the first hours of the tennis player’s stay at Melbourne airport, where he was stopped by the border guard. He was interrogated for several hours, from 00.21 to 12.51, but halfway through he was told that the visa would be canceled; after giving him a break, they pressured him to accept the cancellation at exactly 7:42 am.
