Huge Australian Open twist as Novak Djokovic ejected from country
Novak Djokovic has been rejected on arrival in Australia and will be flown out of the country imminently, it has been confirmed.
After weeks of speculation and world number one looked all set to defend his Australian Open title after announcing that he had been granted a medical exemption.
However, Djokovic had problems with his visa flagged by officials on arrival Down Under as he apparently applied for the wrong type.
That visa has now reportedly been cancelled and the 34-year-old’s lawyers are in the process of appealing.
He was detained at Melbourne Airport for more than eight hours after landing. The Australian Border Force (ABF) has since released a statement as follows.
“The ABF will continue to ensure that those who arrive at our border comply with our laws and entry requirements.
‘The ABF can confirm that Mr Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled.
“Non-citizens who do not hold a vaild visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia. The ABF can confirm Mr Djokovic had access to his phone.”
It is now highly unlikely that the nine-time champion will play the Melbourne Slam considering the fact that the event begins in less than two weeks.
Djokovic is no stranger to Slam woes. The 20-time Slam champion was infamously defaulted in the fourth round of the 2020 US Open for hitting a line judge with a ball.
As he did following that controversy, Novak’s father Srdjan Djokovic weighed in while Djokovic was being held by ABF.
“I have no idea what’s going on,” he said according to B92. “They’re holding my son captive for five hours.
“This is a fight for the libertarian world, this is not just a fight for Novak, but a fight for the whole world!
“If they don’t let him go in one or two hours, we will gather on the street, this is a fight for everyone.”
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