Tamara Rapajic
Australian Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has overturned Novak Djokovic’s 3-year visa ban in time for the 2023 Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis star and nine-time Australian Open champion, will be granted a visa. Djokovic will therefore play in the 2023 Australian Open after having been deported ahead of the 2022 tournament.
Why was Djokovic deported before the 2022 open?
In what competitor Rafael Nadal labelled a “big mess”, Djokovic had his visa revoked and was subsequently deported from Australia on the eve of the 2022 Open for not having the COVID-19 vaccine.
In 2022, the Coalition government revoked Djokovic’s visa as they did not believe he has reasonable grounds for exemption from the vaccine (and Australian law required visitors to the country to be vaccinated at the time). Djokovic won a temporary reprieve in the Federal Circuit Court. But, he was eventually deported after then immigration minister Alex Hawke cancelled his visa. There was clear potential for Djokovic’s presence to stir up “civil unrest” in Australia by sparking anti-vax sentiments in the country.
What has changed ahead of the 2023 tournament?
Since the January tornament, Australia has removed its requirement for visitors to be vaccinated against the virus. This played a crucial part in the overturn of Djokovic’s ban.
“Tennis is better when the best players are on the court”
Djokovic has expressed his delight and relief at having the ban overturned. He expressed his hope for “having another successful Australian Open”. So far, The Australian Open has been his most successful Grand Slam. Djokovic reflected on his previous experiences stating: “I had some of my best memories on that court. Hopefully, I can make more positive memories there.”
The defending Spanish champion, Rafael Nadal Spain, expressed that he is happy for Djokovic, “happy for the tournament” and “happy for the fans” because “tennis is better when the best players are on the court”.
The Australian Open is set to commence on the 16th of January 2023.
Featured image courtesy of Moises Alex on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
