Novak Djokovic’s appeal to remain in Australia for the Open has been denied

The day before the Australian Open begins.

The government of Australia has just rejected an appeal by tennis player Novak Djokovic to remain in the country ahead of the Australian Open.

The lawyers of Djokovic had previously stated that he was given a vaccine exemption to enter Australia due to the fact that he was infected with COVID-19 on Dec. 16.

On Jan. 5, BBC reported that the government of Australia had cancelled the visa of Novak Djokovic, with plans to deport him ahead of the Australian Open.

Djokovic was originally given the green light to play in the first Grand Slam tournament of the season despite being unvaccinated — on the basis of an undisclosed medical exemption. He has previously confirmed that he is opposed to vaccination.

Upon his arrival in Melbourne, Djokovic waited overnight as his team’s Visa application, which reportedly contained an error, was reviewed.

Novak Djokovic is currently the No. 1 ranked men’s tennis player in the world. He is a nine-time winner of the Australian Open, which runs from Jan. 17–30 this year, and is the defending champion.

Novak Djokovic’s appeal to remain in Australia for the Open has been denied

This article was originally published on Jan. 5 and updated on Jan. 16, 2022.


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