Novak Djokovic had the option of being vaccinated before becoming infected with Covid-19 in December, a lawyer representing Australia’s immigration minister told the court on Sunday.
After arriving in Australia on 5 January, the Serbian star told Australian Border Force agents that he had tested positive for the virus on 16 December – adding that he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Stephen Lloyd, lawyer for Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, told court vaccines were available before Djokovic tested positive for COVID-19 in December – and gave no reason why Djokovic could not be vaccinated.
He suggested that Djokovic was unwilling to vaccinate, demonstrating his anti-vaccination stance.
Earlier in the hearing, Djokovic’s lawyers pointed to an article published on January 6 that said Djokovic opposed vaccination in April 2020.
Djokovic’s lawyers argued that the comments were made before the vaccine was available, and the article also quoted players as saying he would keep an “open mind”.
But Lloyd, referring to the same article, said it does not disprove the government’s argument: “We say that if anything strengthens it.”
He said the article showed Djokovic was against the Covid-19 vaccines even before they were available.
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