Djokovic’s appeal of nixed visa moves to higher court
Novak Djokovic’s effort to play in the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated for COVID-19 moved to a higher court Friday as the No. 1-ranked tennis player appealed the second cancellation of his visa.
Djokovic was not seen on the online feed available to the public for the 15-minute procedural hearing, which began just two days before he is scheduled to play his first match of 2022 at Melbourne Park.
Judge David O’Callaghan ruled that lawyers representing Djokovic and the government would need to submit written arguments later Saturday and scheduled another hearing for Sunday morning.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke blocked the 34-year-old Serb’s visa, which was originally revoked when he landed at a Melbourne airport last week. But it was restored Monday by a judge on procedural grounds, because Djokovic was not allowed to have a lawyer with him at the airport.
As the latest appeal began Friday night, Djokovic remained free, but the plan was for him to effectively return to immigration detention when he met with Australian Border Force officials Saturday morning.
Deportation from Australia can lead to a three-year ban on returning to the country, although that may be waived, depending on the circumstances.
Djokovic has a record nine Australian Open titles, including the past three in a row, part of his overall Grand Slam haul of 20 championships. He is tied with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for the most by a man in history.
Djokovic has acknowledged that his travel declaration was incorrect because it failed to indicate that he had been in multiple countries over the two weeks before his arrival in Australia. His supporters in Serbia have been dismayed by the visa cancellations. In a post on social media Wednesday that constituted his most extensive public comments on the whole episode, Djokovic blamed his agent for checking the wrong box on the form, calling it “a human error and certainly not deliberate.”
In that same post, Djokovic said he went ahead with an interview and a photo shoot with a French newspaper in Serbia despite knowing he had tested positive for COVID-19 two days earlier. Djokovic has been attempting to use what he says was a positive test taken on Dec. 16 to justify a medical exemption that would allow him to skirt the vaccine requirement
HALL OF FAMER CHRIS EVERT SAYS SHE HAS OVARIAN CANCER >> Former tennis star Chris Evert says she was diagnosed with an early stage of ovarian cancer.
The 67-year-old Evert revealed the illness in a story posted on ESPN.com; she is an on-air announcer for ESPN.
She learned of the cancer last month and began chemotherapy treatments this week.
Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings and was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 1995.
MLB
CABRERA RETIRES AFTER 15 SEASONS >> Melky Cabrera, the Giants’ “Melk Man” and Bay Area sensation for much of the 2012 season, announced his retirement after 15 seasons in the majors.
Cabrera, 37, had one of the most memorable months in Giants history in 2012, hitting safely in 25 of 29 games in a 51-hit May. Cabrera stayed hot and was the All-Star Game MVP, only to have his season end with 45 games remaining after a positive test for testosterone. The Giants ended up winning their second of three World Series titles that season.
Cabrera played seven more seasons in the majors, his most recent with the Pirates in 2019.
College football
IOWA COACH KIRK FERENTZ RECEIVES EXTENSION THROUGH 2029 >> Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz received a fouryear extension through the 2029 season, the school announced.
Ferentz, who had four seasons remaining on his current deal, will receive $56 million -- $7 million annually -- over the next eight seasons. He was slated to make $5.1 million next season before the extension.
The university said the 66-year-old Ferentz will receive $500,000 in base salary, $5.5 million in supplemental compensation and a $1 million longevity bonus each year until the deal expires on Jan. 31, 2030.
College basketball
NO. 7 PURDUE DOMINATES NEBRASKA >> Zach Edey scored 22 points and Jaden Ivey added 17 as the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers routed Nebraska 92-65.
The Boilermakers (14-2, 3-2 Big Ten) have won two straight and six of their last seven.
Keisei Tominaga led the Cornhuskers with 11 points. Alonzo Verge Jr. and C.J. Wilcher each had 10 points for Nebraska (6-12, 0-7), which has lost five straight and 10 of 11.