Tennis

Novak Djokovic Loses Legal Fight To Avoid Deportation

He challenged the decision of Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke which was rejected by a three-judge bench of the Federal Court.

Sentinel Digital Desk

New Delhi: A day before the start of Australian Open, Tennis super star Novak Djokovic lost all hopes of playing in the later as the Federal Court rejected his bid to restore his Australian visa on Sunday.

With this rejection, he will be deported from Australia and might face a three-year ban on returning to Australia.

He challenged the decision of Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke which was rejected by a three-judge bench of the Federal Court.

The Government of Australia on Friday had cancelled Novak Djokovic's visa for the second time in a row, who came to the country to participate in the Australian Open 2022 without taking the corona vaccine.

In an official statement issued by the Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said he acted on "health and good order grounds on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so".

''Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government "is firmly committed to protecting Australia's borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic," the statement added.

Notably, earlier, the Australian government had cancelled Novak's visa on his arrival in Melbourne after which he was sent to detention for a few days.

The controversy started when the 34-year-old Serbian player's visa was cancelled by the Australian Border Force despite having permission from Tennis Australia and the Victoria State Government to play in the Australian Open without getting the vaccine.

After this, he stayed in hotel detention for four days. However, on January 10, a court restored his visa and allowed him to come out of the hotel.

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