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Novak Djokovic told to leave Australia after visa is cancelled

Novak Djokovic has been told to leave Australia after having a visa to enter the country cancelle...



Novak Djokovic told to leave A...
Other Sports

Novak Djokovic told to leave Australia after visa is cancelled

Novak Djokovic has been told to leave Australia after having a visa to enter the country cancelled.

The Serb had received a medical exemption to compete in this month's Australian Open, but faced lengthy questioning from Border Force officials following his entry to the country.

Djokovic was aiming to win a tenth Australian Open title in Melbourne.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner was questioned until around 5am local time at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport. His father, Srdjan Djokovic, made claims to Serbian media on Wednesday evening that his son was being held "captive".

"If they don't let him go in half an hour, we will gather on the street," the father said, "This is a fight for everyone."

Late Wednesday night, Australian time, the country's acting Sports Minister, Jaala Pulford tweeted, "The Federal Government has asked if we will support Novak Djokovic’s visa application to enter Australia.

"We will not be providing Novak Djokovic with individual visa application support to participate in the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam.

"We’ve always been clear on two points: visa approvals are a matter for the Federal Government, and medical exemptions are a matter for doctors."

Following hours of questioning from Border Force officials, according to The Age, Djokovic's visa was cancelled and he was instructed to leave the country.

It's also reported that Djokovic did not have adequate documentation to warrant his medical exemption to compete in Melbourne.

It's believed he was unable to offer clarity on whether or not he'd contracted COVID-19 in the past six months. In the summer of 2020, Djokovic tested positive for the virus after his ill-fated Adria Tour which was run without protocols in place.

It's believed the world no.1 will appeal the cancellation of his visa.

However, earlier this week Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned, "There should be no special rules for Novak Djokovic at all. None whatsoever.'

He added, "There are other cases — there are quite a number over the last couple of years — where people have had these exemptions and have the suitable proof to support their claim in those circumstances.

"So the circumstance is not unique. The issue is whether he has sufficient evidence to support that he would qualify for the exemption."

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