Victory for Djokovic in court: The world’s best tennis player may not be prevented from entering Australia simply because he has not had his vaccinations, the Australian Federal Court in Melbourne ruled today.
Border authorities revoked the tennis star’s visa after he entered the country and held him in a quarantine hotel for several days. The authorities’ harassment earlier sparked a worldwide wave of protests against the Australian government. In addition to Serbia’s President Vucic, the AfD parliamentary group’s foreign policy spokesman Petr Bystron and British politician Nigel Farage also criticized Djokovic’s obstruction by the Australian Border Guard in the run-up to the event. Now the critics are celebrating the victory in court along with Djokovic.
The Australian Federal Court in Melbourne ruled Monday (midnight German time) that Novak Djoković can enter Australia. The player of the century can now defend his title at the Australian Open. Novak Djoković is the current number one in the tennis world rankings and a record winner at the Australian Open.
The court decision was preceded by a Corona political farce. The defending champion was prevented from entering the country by Australian officials for several hours after landing in Melbourne on Wednesday and was interrogated for hours. The authorities subsequently revoked his visa. Subsequently, Djoković was locked up in a run-down hotel, which more closely resembles a prison and is used to intern migrants. The reason for the scandalous measures: The tennis pro, who has been critical of the Corona measures in the past, has so far failed to disclose his vaccination status.
This action by the Australian authorities attracted worldwide attention. Prominent critics of Corona restrictions criticized the harassment.
Bystron: “Australia sends a devastating signal with visa withdrawal”
In Germany, the foreign policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Petr Bystron, already called on Friday on Australian authorities to “revise this wrong decision.” Bystron said that by revoking Novak Djokovic’s visa, the Australian authorities were “sending a devastating signal to the world” and causing great damage to both the tournament and the country as a whole. Literally, he criticized:
“They are preventing a healthy person from entering their country and asking him to take a vaccination that has not been proven to be effective.”
In addition to criticizing the action, the foreign policy expert arguably caught a sore spot for the country, which generates much of its revenue from tourism:
“With this decision, Australian authorities are destroying in one fell swoop the image of Australia as a country with a laid-back lifestyle, built up over decades by ‘Tourism Australia’ with tens of millions of dollars in advertising money,” Bystron said.
Indeed, the internment of tennis star Djokovic in a quarantine hotel stood in stark contrast to the core message of the Australian tourism authority’s marketing campaign, which for years placed “the proverbial Aussie nonchalance” at the forefront of its communications.
Nigel Farage: “…Think what they might do to you one day!”
The former leader of Britain’s Ukip party, Nigel Farage, also came out in support of Djokovic. He contacted the tennis star’s family and reported on the harassment of the Serb. According to family members, the tennis pro had his wallet as well as his cell phone stolen during his detention. In addition, he had been put in a “run-down hotel” that was “more like a prison.”
Farage posited:
“If they can treat the number one tennis player in the world like this… Think what they could do to you one day!” and posed the question: “Why is the majority willing to allow the government to take away our freedoms and rights in the name of fighting this virus?”
President Vucic: “All of Serbia is behind Djokovic”
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic already expressed outrage over Djokovic’s expulsion last week, assuring “all of Serbia is behind him” after a phone call with the Serbian tennis pro. Serbian authorities will take all measures to end the harassment of the world’s best tennis player within the shortest possible time, Vucic wrote. Djokovic’s denial of entry and subsequent detention was called a “political witch hunt” by Serbia’s president. Millions of fans showed solidarity with Djokovic worldwide.
With this political tailwind behind him, Djoković’s lawyers sued to have his visa canceled, claiming in court that the athlete tested positive for Covid-19 on Dec. 16 – as he had in June 2020. The athlete had argued that he should be considered “recovered.” The positive test had entitled Djokovic to obtain a medical exemption permit from the Australian government in the state of Victoria. The latter authorized him to participate in the Australian Open in Melbourne. A Corona-related political farce thus came to an end. The exceptional player defeated the bureaucracy and can now begin the defense of his title. On Wednesday, his opponents will be drawn on the tennis court.
