Djokovic Held At Airport For Eight Hours ‘Mostly Incommunicado’

Cat:

Related stories

Tinubu Mourns Legendary ‘Gwo Gwo Ngwo’ Crooner Mike Ejeagha

By Abiola Olawale President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow...

Nigeria Already Sliding into Dictatorship, Ozekhome Warns

By Abiola Olawale Renowned constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate,...

Name National Assembly Members Behind Benue Killings, PDP Challenges Alia

By Kolawole Ojebisi The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has challenged...

Benue Attacks: Big Names, Politicians Indicted By Judicial Panel Reports —Alia

By Kolawole Ojebisi Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has alleged...

Ozekhome Decries Judges’ Poor Remunerations, Bad State Of Nigerian Courts

By Kolawole Ojebisi A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and...

AFP — Australian border agents held tennis superstar Novak Djokovic for eight hours at Melbourne airport, mostly incommunicado, before cancelling his visa and sending him to a detention centre, his lawyers said Saturday.

Djokovic secured a Covid-19 vaccine exemption from Tennis Australia and the Australian government because he had tested positive for the virus in December, which should have qualified him for entry, the lawyers argued.

“The date of the first positive Covid PCR test was recorded on 16 December 2021,” his legal team said in a 32-page submission ahead of a federal court hearing Monday to appeal the visa decision.

Djokovic, who touched down in Melbourne on Wednesday night after a 25-hour trip via Dubai, had asked for a time to rest and consult his lawyers the following morning, his lawyers said.

But after a border official initially agreed, his superiors successfully pressured Djokovic to allow them to take an immediate decision on his visa, the lawyers said.

Foreigners are still mostly banned from travel to Australia, and those granted entry must be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption.

The tennis star has been held since Thursday morning in a Melbourne detention centre “notwithstanding his requests to be moved” to another facility to train for the Australian Open, they added.

Although Djokovic has won a legal reprieve from deportation, it is unclear whether he will play in the January 17-30 tournament.

If successful, he will be gunning for a 10th Australian Open crown and a record 21st Grand Slam title — a milestone that Spanish great Rafael Nadal is also chasing.

In an internal video leaked Saturday, Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley said his organisation had done “everything they possibly could”.

– ‘Unbelievable job’ -“There is a lot… of blaming going on but I can assure you our team has done an unbelievable job,” he said in a video published by the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper.

A second tennis player who was headed to the tournament — Czech doubles specialist Renata Voracova — had her visa cancelled after initially being allowed into the country, her government has confirmed.

She was also placed in the Melbourne centre, and is widely believed to have left the facility on Saturday. AFP photo and video images showed a woman who appeared to be Voracova in a vehicle leaving the centre.

“They bring me food and there’s a guard in the corridor… I feel a bit like in prison,” 38-year-old Voracova told Czech media before her departure.

Djokovic, an outspoken vaccine sceptic, thanked fans for their support on Instagram.

“Thank you to people around the world for your continuous support. I can feel it and it is greatly appreciated,” the 34-year-old nine-time Australian Open champion said.

More than 100 fans and anti-vaccine protesters, who were banging drums and chanting “Novak”, rallied outside the Melbourne immigration holding facility on Saturday.

The New Diplomat
The New Diplomathttps://newdiplomatng.com/
At The New Diplomat, we stand for ethical journalism, press freedom, accountable Republic, and gender equity. That is why at The New Diplomat, we are committed to speaking truth to power, fostering a robust community of responsible journalism, and using high-quality polls, data, and surveys to engage the public with compelling narratives about political, business, socio-economic, environmental, and situational dynamics in Nigeria, Africa, and globally.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

[tds_leads input_placeholder="Your email address" btn_horiz_align="content-horiz-center" pp_msg="SSd2ZSUyMHJlYWQlMjBhbmQlMjBhY2NlcHQlMjB0aGUlMjAlM0NhJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMiUyMyUyMiUzRVByaXZhY3klMjBQb2xpY3klM0MlMkZhJTNFLg==" pp_checkbox="yes" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXRvcCI6IjMwIiwibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6IjQwIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMTUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBvcnRyYWl0X21heF93aWR0aCI6MTAxOCwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWluX3dpZHRoIjo3NjgsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMjAiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMzAiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sImxhbmRzY2FwZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjExNDAsImxhbmRzY2FwZV9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjEwMTksInBob25lIjp7Im1hcmdpbi10b3AiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9" display="column" gap="eyJhbGwiOiIyMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" f_msg_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_input_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_btn_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_family="downtown-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_weight="700" f_btn_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_transform="uppercase" btn_text="Unlock All" btn_bg="#000000" btn_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxOCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxNCJ9" input_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjEyIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMCJ9" pp_check_color_a="#000000" f_pp_font_weight="600" pp_check_square="#000000" msg_composer="" pp_check_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.56)" msg_succ_radius="0" msg_err_radius="0" input_border="1" f_unsub_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_msg_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_weight="500" f_msg_font_weight="500" f_unsub_font_weight="500"]

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Tinubu Mourns Legendary ‘Gwo Gwo Ngwo’ Crooner Mike EjeaghaNigeria Already Sliding into Dictatorship, Ozekhome WarnsName National Assembly Members Behind Benue Killings, PDP Challenges AliaBenue Attacks: Big Names, Politicians Indicted By Judicial Panel Reports ---AliaOzekhome Decries Judges' Poor Remunerations, Bad State Of Nigerian CourtsLeadership Lessons From AfDB's Akinwumi AdesinaTrump asks aides if they think Musk’s behavior could be related to alleged drug use, source saysVisualizing Trump’s 2026 Budget ProposalUmo Eno: Professing Love For Tinubu Without Joining APC, 'Anti-party'King Charles Recognizes Beckham's Impact, Knights Ex-England's CaptainTinubu Mourns Uwais, Says Ex-CJN 'A Phenomenal Jurist'U.S. Remittance Tax Casts Shadow Over African EconomiesAkwa-Ibom Commissioner Defies Gov Umo Eno, Resigns, Says I Can't Join Gov In APCTrump Vs Musk: JD Vance Declares Support For US President Amid Online RowExclusive: Inside Details Of Sanwo-Olu’s Alleged Strained Ties With Tinubu
X whatsapp