Novak Djokovic’s lawyers filed court papers last night in his challenge against deportation from Australia that show the tennis star tested positive for COVID-19 last month and recovered, grounds he used in applying for a medical exemption to the country’s strict vaccination rules.
The No.1-ranked Djokovic was denied entry at the Melbourne airport earlier this week after border officials cancelled his visa for failing to meet its entry requirement that all non-citizens be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
Djokovic was given a medical exemption backed by the Victoria state government and Australian Open organisers on January 1, based on information he supplied to two independent medical panels, and he was approved for a visa electronically.
READ MORE: France greenlights Djokovic’s Roland-Garros bid
READ MORE: Khawaja joins cricket royalty with twin tons
But it has since emerged that the Victoria state medical exemption, allowed for people who tested positive for the coronavirus within the last six months, was deemed invalid by the federal border authorities.
In submissions filed in court last night, Djokovic’s legal team states the Serbian superstar had tested positive for coronavirus on December 16, “and that he had not had a fever or respiratory symptoms in the past 72 hours.”
The infection was not publicly announced at the time.
However, Djokovic attended a December 17 event in Belgrade honouring young tennis players. The event was covered by local media, and parents posted photos on social media showing Djokovic and the children not wearing masks.
It’s not clear if Djokovic knew the results of his test at the time.
On December 14, Djokovic had attended a Euroleague basketball game between Red Star and Barcelona in a packed sports hall in Belgrade. He was photographed hugging several players of both teams, including some who soon later tested positive.
The court submission said Djokovic received confirmation from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs saying that his travel declaration had been assessed and that his responses indicated he met the requirements for quarantine-free arrival in Australia.
The 2022 ATP Cup will be held in Sydney from January 1-9, with live matches, highlights, mini matches and full match replays on Stan Sport. New customers can start their free trial now by visiting: Stan.com.au/tennis
https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/1479737150967107586
The defending AO champion is being held at an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne ahead of a court hearing on Monday to challenge the decision to cancel his visa.
Also in the documents filed last night, lawyers claim Djokovic was held for questioning at Melbourne Airport for about eight hours before being whisked away to the Park Hotel.
They argue Djokovic was denied fair process and access to his legal team during the airport grilling.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
The 2022 ATP Cup will be held in Sydney from January 1-9, with live matches, highlights, mini matches and full match replays on Stan Sport. New customers can start their free trial now by visiting: Stan.com.au/tennis