Novak Djokovic was released, but Australian government warns that tennis player may be deported

An Australian court on Monday ordered the release of the number one tennis player, the Serbian Novak Djokovic, who had been held since last Thursday in a hotel in the city of Melbourne after the revocation of his visa for not being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Judge Anthony Kelly of the Melbourne Federal Circuit Court ordered the Australian Government to implement the release, hand over his passport and personal effects and pay the legal costs.

The court decision would allow Djokovic to participate in the Australian Open (it will start on Monday, January 17), which if he wins it would become his tenth title of that tournament and his twenty-first Grand Slam and thus surpass the Swiss Roger Federer and the Spanish Rafael Nadal.

In today’s virtual hearing, the Australian Government agreed to reverse its decision to cancel the visa, although attorney Christopher Tran noted that Immigration Minister Alex Hawke is considering using his special powers to deport Djokovic.

This potential gesture of the Executive of Scott Morrison, who seeks to be re-elected this year, would be “Very worrying”, Judge Kelly said when weighing the potential consequences.

The Australian government had detained the 34-year-old Serbian tennis player in a Melbourne hotel last Thursday after canceling his visa by rejecting the medical exemption he had obtained to try to win his 10th Australian Open title without being vaccinated.

During today’s anticipated virtual hearing, which began late due to technical problems, Djokovic’s lawyers alleged that the player followed all the immigration steps he believed necessary to enter Australia.

The Australian Government requires travelers to have the complete schedule of the COVID-19 vaccine or a valid medical exemption to enter the country.

Last Saturday, Czech tennis player Renata Vorácová, who was arrested after Australian authorities canceled her visa after entering with an exemption similar to Djokovic’s, left the country.

Australia, currently experiencing its worst wave of COVID-19, reached one million accumulated infections since the beginning of the pandemic on Monday, almost half of them registered since the beginning of the year due to the strong impact of the omicron variant.