Djokovic's visa cancelled again by Australia's Immigration Minister
He recently admitted to meeting with a French journalist while Covid positive
Last updated 14th Jan 2022
World number one Novak Djokovic has had his Australian visa cancelled for a second time, the country's Immigration Minister has revealed.
It was looking like Djokovic was set to play in the grand slam at Melbourne Park, but Alex Hawke released a statement today (Friday 14 January) saying he would send the tennis star home.
Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, said: "Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.
"This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds.
"In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Mr Djokovic.
"The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia's borders, particularly in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic."
A brief timeline
It's the second time the Serb has had his visa cancelled since his arrival in Australia on 5 January.
Australia's border force initially announced that the player "failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements for Australia", in regards to the country's strict rules on vaccination status.
After being sent to a hotel in Melbourne while deportation details were being discussed, Djokovic's lawyers claimed he had medical exemption to taking a covid vaccine, as he recorded a positive covid-19 test on December 16.
On 10 January, Djokovic's visa cancellation was retracted by Judge Anthony Kelly, who orders the Australian Government to pay legal costs and release the player from his hotel detention within 30 minutes.
But Immigration Minister Alex Hawke considers over-riding the court ruling on the reported basis that Djokovic made a misleading claim on his entry form to the country, in regards to his movements in the two weeks prior to his arrival.
on January 12, Djokovic confirmed some misdoing, and admits making an "error of judgement" by meeting with a French journalist when knowingly having Covid-19.
He also confirmed that his declaration form wrongly showed that he had not travelled in the two weeks prior to arriving, which he said was a human error mistake from his agent.
Today (14 January), Mr Hawke cancelled Djokovic's visa for a second time, making it likely that he'll be unable to play in the tournament, despite featuring in the draw yesterday.