An Australian court has ordered the release of tennis player Novak Djokovic, who has been held in a detention center in Melbourne since Thursday after his visa was revoked for not being vaccinated against Covid-19.
Judge Anthony Kelly ordered the Australian government to release the tennis player, return the Serb’s passport and personal belongings, as well as pay the legal costs of Djokovic, who will thus be able to compete at the Australian Open.
However, according to the Serbian and Australian press, the case could take a new turn with the intervention of the Australian Minister of Immigration, who can order the new arrest of Nole.
The world’s number one tennis player landed at Melbourne Airport Wednesday night for the Australian Open, which will take place January 17-30.
Upon arrival, immigration authorities canceled his visa for allegedly failing to meet entry requirements aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 in the country, despite an exemption that allowed him to enter the country without being vaccinated.
The defense of Djokovic, a tennis player who opposes compulsory immunization against covid-19, claims the Serb received an email assessment from the Australian Home Office stating that he was eligible to enter the country without quarantine, although the Government of Canberra claimed that this is not a guarantee.
Djokovic, who, according to court documents, was not vaccinated, argued that he did not need to show a vaccination certificate as he had evidence that he had been infected with the coronavirus within the past month.
Australian medical authorities allow temporary exemptions from vaccination regulations to people infected with covid-19 in the previous six months.
Judge Anthony Kelly noted today that Djokovic has presented Melbourne airport officials with a medical certificate issued by the organizers of the tournament, which begins on January 17, and two medical commissions.
“What else could this man have done?” The judge asked Djokovic’s lawyer Nick Wood.
Wood agreed with the judge that Djokovic could not have done more.
The transcripts of Djokovic’s conversation at the border and his own affidavit showed “repeated appeals to the responsible persons with whom he dealt, that he did absolutely everything that, in his opinion, was necessary to be able to enter Australia.” Wood said.
Djokovic has been in isolation at a Melbourne hotel since Thursday, when his visa was canceled.
But the judge ordered that the number 1 in the world tennis “ranking” be released from quarantine at the hotel during the trial. It was unclear where Djokovic went during the hearing, as he did not appear on screen during the first hours of the virtual hearing.
Djokovic’s lawyers presented 11 grounds for appealing the cancellation of a visa.
Lawyers called the cancellation “highly illogical”, irrational and legally unfounded.
The broadcast for the virtual audience was disrupted several times due to the large number of people from all over the world trying to watch it online.
Djokovic won the Australian Open nine times. He has 20 Grand Slam titles, a men’s record that he shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
