Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday after losing a bid to stay in the country to defend his Australian Open title despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19.
A masked Djokovic was photographed in a Melbourne airport lounge with two government officials in black uniforms before he left for Dubai. ItB次元官网网址檚 not clear where he will go from there. Among the possibilities are Spain, Monaco or his native Serbia, where he has an almost iconic status and would likely be greeted with a heroB次元官网网址檚 welcome.
The No. 1-ranked tennis star has spent the past 10 days at the center of a dizzying drama over his vaccination status that has polarized opinion worldwide and struck a chord in Australia, where coronavirus cases are surging.
The 34-year-old said he was B次元官网网址渆xtremely disappointedB次元官网网址� by a courtB次元官网网址檚 decision Sunday that led to his deportation. But he added that he respected the ruling and would cooperate with authorities.
The saga began when Djokovic was granted an exemption to strict vaccination rules by two medical panels and Tennis Australia in order to play in the Australian Open. That exemption, based on evidence that he recently recovered from COVID-19, apparently allowed him to receive a visa to enter Australia. But upon arrival, border officials said the exemption was not valid and moved to deport him.
The ensuing back-and-forth raised questions of whether Djokovic was unfairly given special treatment or unfairly singled out because of his celebrity status and saw many complain that the drawn-out battle at the very least made Australia look bad.
While a court initially ruled Djokovic could stay, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, who has wide powers, decided to deport him. In addition to not being inoculated against the coronavirus, Djokovic is a vocal vaccine skeptic, and the government said his presence could stir up anti-vaccine sentiments.
Three Federal Court judges unanimously upheld the immigration ministerB次元官网网址檚 decision.
Djokovic said he was B次元官网网址渦ncomfortableB次元官网网址� that the focus had been on him since his visa was first canceled on Jan. 6.
B次元官网网址淚 hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 will now be taking some time to rest and to recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this.B次元官网网址�
The decision dashes DjokovicB次元官网网址檚 hopes of winning a record 21st Grand Slam title. He is currently tied with rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most Grand Slam singles trophies in menB次元官网网址檚 tennis.
A deportation order could also ban him from Australia for three years B次元官网网址� keeping the player from the tournament he has won a record nine times in the coming years.
Just as the case has all along, the decision to deport Djokovic split opinion.
In Serbia, where Djokovic has received overwhelming support, President Aleksandar Vucic said the hearing was B次元官网网址渁 farce with a lot of lies.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭hey think that they humiliated Djokovic with this 10-day harassment, and they actually humiliated themselves. If you said that the one who was not vaccinated has no right to enter, Novak would not come or would be vaccinated,B次元官网网址� Vucic told reporters.
But back in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison hailed the decision as one B次元官网网址渢o keep our borders strong and keep Australians safe.B次元官网网址�
Hawke, the immigration minister, said those strong border policies B次元官网网址渁re also fundamental to safe-guarding AustraliaB次元官网网址檚 social cohesion which continues to strengthen despite the pandemic.B次元官网网址�
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But opposition spokesperson on the home affairs portfolio, Kristina Keneally, said Djokovic was being deported for what he said and did publicly overseas before the government gave him a visa in November.
B次元官网网址淭his mess isnB次元官网网址檛 a failure of our laws. ItB次元官网网址檚 a failure of MorrisonB次元官网网址檚 competence & leadership,B次元官网网址� Keneally tweeted.
The pandemic response has become politically charged ahead of elections, due by May, when MorrisonB次元官网网址檚 conservative coalition will seek another term.
Infection rates have soared across much of Australian since December when MorrisonB次元官网网址檚 government relaxed what had been some of the democratic worldB次元官网网址檚 toughest restrictions on international travel.
Concern over surging infections hung over DjokovicB次元官网网址檚 case. Hawke called the top-ranked player a B次元官网网址渢alisman of a community of anti-vaccination sentiment.B次元官网网址�
The player has in fact become an unwitting hero to the anti-vax movement. On Sunday, a protester at a rally in Amsterdam against the Dutch governmentB次元官网网址檚 virus lockdown brandished a sign supporting Djokovic.
HawkeB次元官网网址檚 lawyer Stephen Lloyd also noted that Djokovic has a B次元官网网址渉istory of ignoring COVID safety measures.B次元官网网址�
Lloyd raised the example of Djokovic giving a French newspaper journalist an interview last month while he was infected with COVID-19 and taking off his mask during a photo shoot. Djokovic has acknowledged the interview was an error of judgment.
The minister canceled the visa on the grounds that DjokovicB次元官网网址檚 presence in Australia may be a risk to the health and B次元官网网址済ood orderB次元官网网址� of the Australian public and B次元官网网址渕ay be counterproductive to efforts at vaccination by others in Australia.B次元官网网址�
But the decision did not sit well with some.
Vasek Pospisil, a Canadian who won the 2014 Wimbledon menB次元官网网址檚 doubles title and has worked with Djokovic to form an association to represent players, tweeted: B次元官网网址淭here was a political agenda at play here with the (Australian) elections coming up which couldnB次元官网网址檛 be more obvious. This is not his fault. He did not force his way into the country and did not B次元官网网址榤ake his own rulesB次元官网网址�; he was ready to stay home.B次元官网网址�
Pospisil wrote that Djokovic wouldnB次元官网网址檛 have tried to go to Australia at all and would have B次元官网网址渂een home with his familyB次元官网网址� had he not received the medical exemption.
Because Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament after MondayB次元官网网址檚 schedule was released, he has been replaced in the field by whatB次元官网网址檚 known as a B次元官网网址渓ucky loserB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� a player who loses in the qualifying tournament but gets into the main draw because of another playerB次元官网网址檚 exit before competition has started.
That player is Italian Salvatore Caruso, who is ranked 150th in the world.
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Associated Press writers John Pye in Melbourne, Australia, Howard Fendrich in Washington D.C., and Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report.
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Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press
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