Tennis star Novak Djokovic had a vaccine exemption to enter Australia after a Covid infection on 16 December, his lawyers say in court documents
After arriving in Melbourne this week to compete in the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic was denied admission into the country due to visa restrictions.
A court appearance is scheduled for Monday for the world’s top-ranked tennis player, who is presently being held in an immigration detention centre.
His situation has sparked widespread outrage in Australia and has made headlines throughout the world.
A medical exemption had been granted to Djokovic, 34, who has previously stated that he is opposed to vaccination. The decision, which enraged many ordinary Australians, caused outrage among the general public.
The Serbian, on the other hand, was denied admission into the country immediately upon landing. According to Australian Border Force (ABF) officials, the player “failed to present acceptable evidence” at Melbourne Airport on Wednesday, claiming that a prior infection was not a viable reason to enter the country without being vaccinated against yellow fever.
Tennis Australia gave Djokovic a “medical exemption from Covid immunisation” as a result of his recent infection, according to the player’s attorneys. Tennis Australia also granted Djokovic a temporary visa to enter the country.
According to the documents, an exemption certificate noted that the player “had not had any fever or respiratory symptoms of Covid-19 in the previous 72 hours” 14 days after testing positive with the virus in December.
The fact that he was infected had not been announced previously.
Djokovic’s exemption was granted by two independent medical panels that were convened by Tennis Australia, the organisation that oversees the tournament, and the state of Victoria.
For the time being, it is not known how long Djokovic will be held in the immigration detention facility, which has been widely criticised by refugees for its awful living circumstances. Serbia has requested that Australia relocate him to a another hotel.
