‘Anti-vax’ Djokovic expected to get visa for 2023 Australian Open
FORMER world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will be granted a visa to play in the 2023 Australian Open, local media reports said Tuesday, despite his deportation from the country ahead of this year’s tournament in January.
The Australian government had decided to grant the unvaccinated Serb a visa for the Grand Slam contest, overturning a three-year ban after his ejection from the country despite initially granting him a visa, said national broadcaster ABC and other domestic media.
Australia’s immigration ministry and Tennis Australia were asked by Agence France-Presse (AFP) to comment on the reports.
This year’s championship was overshadowed by nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic being put on a plane on the eve of the contest after a high-stakes legal battle over his visa status. Djokovic’s three-year ban can be overturned at the discretion of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left government, which is different to the conservative coalition in power when he was kicked out. Over the past month, there have been hints that the Australian government might have a change of heart. Djokovic arrived in Melbourne in January with a valid visa for the first Grand Slam of the year saying he had obtained a medical exemption to enter the country without being vaccinated as he had recently recovered from COVID-19.
But Australian border officials claimed he did not meet the requirements to be exempted from strict vaccination rules, his visa was canceled and a protracted legal appeal that ultimately failed.