Australian govt lawyers defend action against Djokovic, crucial online court hearing today
MELBOURNE: The Australian government did not give tennis star Novak Djokovic an assurance that a medical exemption that he said he had received to enter Australia without a Covid-19 vaccination would be accepted, government lawyers said in a court filing on Sunday.
The filing ahead of a court hearing on Monday was in defence of the government’s decision to bar entry to the world number one over his Covid-19 vaccination status.
Djokovic is hoping to win his 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open, starting in Melbourne on January 17.
The Serbian player has been confined in a hotel used for asylum seekers and is challenging the decision to cancel his visa after being stopped on arrival at Melbourne Airport early on Thursday.
A vocal opponent of vaccine mandates, Djokovic had declined to reveal his vaccination status or reason for seeking a medical exemption from Australia’s vaccination rules. His legal team informed the court on Saturday that the Serbian was infected with the virus in December.
A federal court has called an online hearing to decide the case on Monday.