If you’re joining us now, here’s everything you need to know.
What: The draw for the Australian Open will take place today, but all eyes are on the country’s immigration minister Alex Hawke, who could decide in the coming hours whether to revoke tennis superstar Novak Djokovic’s reinstated visa and deport him – which could lead to another legal impasse. ,
Djokovic arrived in Australia last week, only to have his visa canceled and face temporary detention because he did not have a valid medical exemption for the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all arrivals. A judge ruled on Monday that he should be allowed to stay and he was released from detention.
Where: The tournament takes place in Melbourne, where Djokovic arrived last week and has been training since his release on Monday.
Why Djokovic was detained: All international arrivals to Australia are required to be vaccinated – which Djokovic is not – unless they have a medical exemption. The government argued that it did not have a valid exemption for the requirement.
Djokovic said he was under the impression that he could enter as tournament organizers granted him medical exemption in December on the grounds that he was infected with Covid-19, his visa was cleared before arrival, And he was cleared for quarantine- free travel.
Why the judge ruled in his favor: The judge said the government had not given sufficient advance notice to cancel Djokovic’s visa or the time to prepare material in his defence. After his arrival, Djokovic was told he would have a few hours to prepare – but the government decided to cancel his visa before the deadline given to him.
When: According to court documents, Djokovic tested positive in mid-December, and has recovered enough to receive a medical exemption from Tennis Australia on 30 December. He arrived in Australia on 5 January and was immediately placed under house arrest. He was released on Monday, 10 January. The tournament runs from January 17-30.
,