Sunday 16 January 2022
The matter has long been a political issue
Court negotiates Djokovic’s visa
It will be clear in the next few hours whether tennis superstar Djokovic can compete in the Australian Open from Monday. A federal court decides on his appeal after a renewed visa withdrawal. The hearing will be broadcast live.
The court session, which will decide the objection to the renewed return of visas for Serbian tennis professional Novak Djokovic, resumed on Sunday after a gap of an hour. First, Djokovic’s side presented their arguments before a federal court in Australia. The floor was then in favor of the Australian Government, which continued its remarks even after the interruption. After about three hours, Djokovic and the judges and lawyers associated with the Australian government took a break.
Three judges decide whether the world number one can stay in the country and take part in the Australian Open in Melbourne starting Monday or will have to leave the country. The session will be broadcast online, It should be possible to complete the process “at lunchtime”, it was said in the beginning. Djokovic is following the meeting from his lawyers’ office in Melbourne, Australian news agency AAP reports. The Australian Open record winner spent the night before a federal court hearing in an exile hotel.
Government will be uncomfortable if Djokovic is allowed to stay
Djokovic’s visa was canceled for the second time on Friday. Not vaccinated against the coronavirus, he is a controversial figure in a country that has imposed strict rules since the pandemic began. When officials refused him entry last week, he too was temporarily taken to an exile hotel.
With a preliminary court ruling in his favor on Monday, Djokovic then continued preparations for the season’s first Grand Slam tournament. The Australian government fears huge outrage and resistance from citizens to coronavirus measures if vaccination skeptic Djokovic is allowed to remain in the country.
If Djokovic loses, he will have to leave Australia and is unlikely to return for three years. This will prevent him from participating in the Australian Open for a long time, which he has already won nine times. If his appeal against expulsion is upheld, he could pursue his goal of becoming the first tennis player to win 21 Grand Slam titles in the tournament. It would be a humiliating defeat for the Australian government, which is struggling to maintain its majority in May’s general election.
This issue has been a political issue for a long time. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic made serious allegations against the Australian authorities. Sanjuan Guo, a legal expert at Flinders University in Australia, said the outcome of the case will likely “determine how for years to come tourists, foreign visitors and even Australian citizens will be able to keep up with the country’s immigration policies and ‘before the law’. How do you see ‘equality’?
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