Welp, there it is: number one tennis player Novak Djokovic has lost his second legal battle to stay in Australia and will be deported.
According to ABC reporter Jordan Hayne, Djokovic’s application has been dismissed by the Federal Court. The decision was reportedly unanimous between the three judges — HAH.
This means that he will not be able to play in The Australian Open and has to withdraw. He will reportedly be replaced by one of the top four ranked players who were defeated in the final round of the qualifying matches for the Australian Open, who will go on to play in his match on Monday night against Miomer Kecmanovic.
He may also be unable to enter Australia for up to three years. If that goes ahead, it essentially means he will be unable to be the tennis champion during that time period as he won’t be able to compete in The Australian tournament. The court has not officially made a decision regarding this.
In case you missed it, the tennis player was fighting for a chance to remain in the country to play in The Australian Open and not be deported by the federal government.
The court proceeding this weekend was meant to examine Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s decision to deport Djokovic and assess whether it was unlawful or unfair. The judges found that Djokovic’s lawyers failed to prove that, which is why his visa cancellation is going ahead.
On Wednesday, Djokovic dropped a Notes app statement on Instagram regarding his infamous clash with the Australian Border Force, and whether or not he knowingly went to events with COVID-19 (spoilers, he did).
“I want to address the continuing misinformation about my activities and attendance at events in December in the lead up to my positive PCR COVID test result,” the vaxless racket-swinger wrote.
“I attended a basketball game in Belgrade on 14 December, after which it was reported that a number of people tested positive with COVID 19.”
