Tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic lost his bid to restore his Australian visa on Sunday, a day before the start of the Australian Open. After the full federal court rejected his bid, he would be deported from Australia.
It ended the unvaccinated tennis superstar’s hopes of winning the Australian Open and winning a record-breaking 21 men’s Grand Slam titles.
In a decision that has gripped tennis fans across the country and around the world, the Serbian’s challenge to the decision by Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke was dismissed by a three-judge bench of the Federal Court. Hawke has revoked the tennis star’s visa on the grounds that his presence in Australia could threaten “civil unrest” as he is an “amulet of anti-vaccination sentiment”.
The deportation order usually also includes a three-year ban on return to Australia.
Djokovic’s visa was initially revoked at Melbourne’s airport hours after he arrived to compete in the first Grand Slam of 2022. Djokovic has his visa revoked after a border official decided he would qualify for a medical exemption from Australia’s rules for unvaccinated visitors.
The medical exemption that allowed Djokovic to enter the country without vaccination sparked fury in Australia, and became a political issue for Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has to call a federal election before May.
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