The Australian government reported that the world’s number one tennis player “did not meet the requirements to enter the country”
LONDON – The Australian Government has rejected the tennis player’s visa Novak Djokovic and requires him to leave the country this Thursday, so he will not be able to dispute the Australian Open.
The world number one was held at Melbourne airport since he landed at midnight on Tuesday after receiving a medical exemption allowing him to play the first Grand slam of the year.
However, a member of his team made the visa application wrong, without taking into account said exemption for non-vaccinated people, and the tennis player was isolated waiting for the authorities to make a decision on whether to let him enter the country or not.
According to Australian media, the Government has rejected the Serbian’s visa and has asked him to leave the country this Thursday, although Djokovic’s lawyers are going to appeal the decision, with the intention that he can stay and play the tournament in which he is pursuing the record of 21 Grand Slams with which he would surpass Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
In addition to the errors in his visa, the Government of Victoria, the state where the tournament is held, had questioned the medical reasons put forward by the tennis player to receive the medical exemption and not be vaccinated.
The medical cause exposed by the tennis player was having been infected with covid in the six months prior to the tournament, which the Australian authorities have not considered a sufficient reason for his entry into the country.
The border forces of Australia published a statement in which they stated that Djokovic “He did not comply with the entry requirements to the country”, so his visa “has been canceled.”
“We will continue to ensure that those who arrive at our borders comply with our laws. Citizens who do not have a valid visa or it has been canceled will be detained and expelled from Australia,” they added.
This will be the first time Djokovic, a nine-time tournament winner, will miss the Australian Open since it debuted in 2005. In addition, it is the first Grand slam He has not attended since the United States Open in 2017.
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