Novak Djokovic may not be able to defend his Australian Open title as his participation at the tournament is doubtful because the country denied him entry and cancelled his visa since he failed to meet the requirements for an exemption to COVID-19 vaccination rules.
Djokovic on Tuesday had announced that he had been granted an exemption permission which was expected to shield him from the strict vaccination regulations in place for this year’s first major tennis tournament.
However, the Australian Border Force did not accept the exemption and said that the world number 1 has failed to meet entry requirements.
“The rule is very clear,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told a news conference Thursday. “You need to have a medical exemption. He didn’t have a valid medical exemption. We make the call at the border, and that’s where it’s enforced.”
Health Minister Greg Hunt has said the visa cancellation followed a review of Djokovic’s medical exemption by border officials who verified “the integrity and the evidence behind it.”
Hunt said that Djokovic was free to appeal the decision, “but if a visa is cancelled, somebody will have to leave the country.”
Djokovic, who is aiming for a record 21st Grand Slam title, touched down at Melbourne's Tullamarine airport Wednesday about 11:30 p.m. local time after a 14-hour flight from Dubai. He was made to wait at the airport for 8 hours before being moved to a hotel, pending arrangements for a flight out of Australia or legal action.
Morrison confirmed the cancellation in a Twitter post: “No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant.”
The Australian PM also said it was up to the individual to have correct documents on arrival and rejected claims that the world number 1 was being singled out. He also acknowledged that other players in Australia may be on the same type of medical exemption.
“One of the things the Border Force does is they act on intelligence to direct their attention to potential arrivals,” he said. “When you get people making public statements about what they say they have, and they’re going to do, they draw significant attention to themselves.”
Anyone who does that “whether they’re a celebrity, a politician, a tennis player . . . they can expect to be asked questions more than others before you come.”
The medical exemptions, which is vetted by two independent panels of experts and based on information supplied anonymously by players and taken on face value, was meant to allow Djokovic to play in the Australian Open, regardless of his vaccination status for COVID-19.
Previously, Djokovic has spoken against vaccines and refused to divulge details about his vaccination status.
The Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley defended the application and process and maintained that there is no special treatment for Djokovic.
The Victoria government has said that only fully vaccinated players staff members, fans and officials can enter Melbourne Park. The Australian Open begins on 17 January.
(With inputs from AP and Reuters)
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