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Australia Open: Novak Djokovic's visa canceled - Serb is expected for the hearing

2022-01-14T18:05:24.883Z


Australia Open: Novak Djokovic's visa canceled - Serb is expected for the hearing Created: 2022-01-14Updated: 2022-01-14 18:52 By: Tobias Utz, Daniel Dillmann Can he play or not? The cause of Novak Djokovic is developing into a hanging game. Immigration Secretary Alex Hawke collects the Serb's visa. The draw for the first round of the Australian Open* has taken place. Novak Djokovic is in the


Australia Open: Novak Djokovic's visa canceled - Serb is expected for the hearing

Created: 2022-01-14Updated: 2022-01-14 18:52

By: Tobias Utz, Daniel Dillmann

Can he play or not?

The cause of Novak Djokovic is developing into a hanging game.

Immigration Secretary Alex Hawke collects the Serb's visa.

  • The draw for the first round of the Australian Open* has taken place.

    Novak Djokovic is in the pot.

    The tennis star is not vaccinated against Corona*.

  • Djokovic's visa was withdrawn again on Friday, but the Serb still hopes to participate.

  • Alexander Zverev* meets Daniel Altmaier in a German duel.

    Angelique Kerber has to prove herself against Kaia Kanepi in the first round.

+++ 6.45 p.m .:

Novak Djokovic’s hearing will take place in Melbourne in a few hours – at 8 a.m. local time (10 p.m. on Friday evening in Germany). Until then, Djokovic is allowed to stay in his private accommodation. After the hearing, he is given several hours to consult with his lawyers. Overnight he is supposed to return to the deportation hotel where he has already spent four nights. On Sunday (local time) the court will finally decide whether Djokovic is allowed to enter the country. It's a tight schedule: Djokovic should play his first game at the Australian Open on Monday.

+++ 16.08 p.m .:

Novak Djokovic chose a special route to enter Australia, which turned out to be a dead end.

Now the damage could take on historic proportions*, writes Jakob Böllhoff in a comment.

Novak Djokovic: Hearing and decision of the court are imminent

+++ 1:45 p.m .:

Is Novak Djokovic taking part in the Australian Open despite his canceled entry permit?

That question will be clarified this weekend before the federal court in Melbourne.

After his lawyers had lodged an objection, a hearing of the Serbian tennis star should now bring clarity, since the Grand Slam tournament would start on Monday.

This was initiated by Judge Anthony Kelly at a hearing on Friday.

Unvaccinated in Australia: tennis superstar Novak Djokovic.

© James Ross/imago

Saturday morning could be more exhausting for Djokovic than many a match.

A hearing at the Immigration Service is scheduled for 8 a.m. local time.

Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. he will have time to prepare with his lawyers for the court date scheduled for Sunday.

Until then, the allegedly unvaccinated world number one does not have to be in custody pending deportation.

Australian Open: Novak Djokovic's lawyers obtain an injunction

+++ 1:00 p.m .:

On Friday morning Central European Time, Australia canceled the visa of the unvaccinated Novak Djokovic a second time. Since then, the tennis star has been threatened with deportation and a three-year entry ban. As a result, the lawyers of the current number one in the world rankings applied for an injunction against the imminent deportation.

At an emergency hearing at the responsible court, Djokovic's lawyer Nick Wood demanded that his client not be taken into custody pending deportation during the proceedings.

A government attorney said at the hearing that no deportation would be ordered until the judiciary had made its decision.

Accordingly, the tennis great will remain at large until his questioning by the Australian immigration authorities scheduled for Saturday morning.

This was announced by Stephen Lloyd, the government's legal representative.

Djokovic's lawyer Wood is concerned about the start of the Australian Open next Monday.

"We are very concerned about the time," said the lawyer.

So whether Djokovic gets the opportunity to defend his title has to be decided over the weekend.

Australian Open: Time is running out for Novak Djokovic

+++ 12.05 p.m .:

There is still no final decision on Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open.

Although the Immigration Department, in the person of Alex Hawke, withdrew his visa, the tennis industry leader will probably not miss any opportunity to take legal action against his expulsion.

The situation is not easy for the organizers of the Australian Open either.

Depending on the time and outcome of the final Djokovic decision, the game plan and seeding list would have to be adjusted.

Three different scenarios are now possible.

Australia cancels visa - Novak Djokovic is fighting to participate in the Australian Open

+++ 10.40 a.m .:

The decision in the Novak Djokovic case was made on Friday in favor of the tennis star. Australia's Immigration Minister Alex Hawke canceled the Serb's visa. He is now said to be allowed to speak to Australian immigration officials due to the suspension of his entry permit. The 34-year-old's lawyers are already in talks with the ministry, according to Australian media reports.

The cancellation was also justified by the fact that the decision was "in the public interest".

So the legal fight is entering the next round, even if it is still unclear by when the next appeal would have to be heard in court so that Djokovic can still take part in the tournament.

This would have to happen at the weekend due to the opening game on Monday.

According to media reports, the issue of a bridging visa would also be conceivable.

Djokovic could also seek an injunction from federal court to stay the minister's decision, immigration attorney Christopher Levingston told AFP.

A federal judge scheduled an emergency hearing on the case for Friday evening (local time).

Australian Open: Novak Djokovic could be expelled for three years

+++ 08.55 a.m .:  

In the case of Novak Djokovic, Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke justified his decision to withdraw the visa (see update 08.02 a.m.) with the country’s Migration Act. Under the 1958 directive, the Minister for Immigration can withdraw a visa if an individual poses a risk - such as a health risk - to the Australian population. The power to annul is enshrined in Section 133C(3) of the Migration Act.

According to the law, Djokovic will now be barred from applying for a visa to Australia for three years "except in certain circumstances".

"Certain circumstances include compelling circumstances affecting the interests of Australia or compelling circumstances affecting the interests of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen," the department's website said.

Novak Djokovic still hopes to take part in the Australian Open.

© Mark Baker

Australian Open: Djokovic can appeal

+++ 8:28 a.m .:

 Novak Djokovic has again had his visa withdrawn by the Australian authorities. A statement from Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said the decision was well reasoned and "in the public interest". Djokovic also faces a three-year entry ban to Australia.

A participation of the world number one in the Australian Open, which begins Monday (January 17th, 2022), is not yet finally ruled out, because the 34-year-old may be able to lodge further appeals.

However, participation has become very unlikely as a result of the decision.

Nevertheless, Djokovic's legal team should not give up so easily.

In any case, it was heard from the Djokovic team that an appeal could still be negotiated at the weekend and a judgment could be made on Sunday.

In any case, Djokovic has not yet been removed from the Australian Open schedule.

As an opponent, his Serbian compatriot Miomir Kecmanović had been drawn.

Australian Open: Immigration Minister cancels visa in person

+++ 08.02 a.m .:

Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has used his personal power to cancel Novak Djokovic’s visa, as Australian media consistently report.

It was initially unclear whether Djokovic would appeal against the decision of Friday (January 14th, 2022) and possibly still be able to take part in the Australian Open. 

Update from January 14th, 2022, 6:25 a.m .:

Four days after the success in court, Novak Djokovic is still waiting for a decision on his visa for Australia and the opportunity to defend the title at the Australian Open. On Friday afternoon local time in Melbourne, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke had given no signal as to whether he would use his personal right to invalidate the 34-year-old Serb's visa because he was not vaccinated against the corona virus. Meanwhile, the number one in the world rankings trained early in the day instead of in the afternoon as originally planned.

Hawke gets pressure from Australian politics for the long hesitation.

"Alex Hawke, where are you?

Missing?” Senator Jacqui Lambie asked on Friday, according to the Australian news agency AAP.

"If you can't make a decision about Novak Djokovic, my goodness, how are you people running the country?

It's an absolute mess. ”She went on to say that Djokovic should be sent packing if he broke the rules.

Australian Open: Much ridicule for Novak Djokovic - alleged advertising banner goes viral

+++ 10:25 p.m .:

The story about tennis star Novak Djokovic should soon be on Netflix.

This is reported by the English newspaper Daily Mail.

Accordingly, even before the drama about entering Australia, there was a plan to shoot a multi-part series about the tennis tour.

The current events are now playing into the hands of Netflix.

Things could get moving at night just a few days before the start of the Australian Open.

+++ 4.30 p.m .:

While all of Australia is waiting for a decision in the Djokovic case, fans on social media are having fun with the unvaccinated Serbs. In particular, a photo montage on which Djokovic was shown as part of an advertisement for the payment service provider Master-Card went around the world. The wordy slogan "Accepted across the world...when your visa isn't" adorns the picture, which is liked and shared thousands of times.

Many users are now wondering whether the picture is a real Master Card advertising campaign.

The company itself did not post anything about the Djokovic case and apparently stays out of sports-political affairs, so the advertising is not genuine.

Nevertheless, the picture hits a nerve, there are still many unanswered questions about the approval of the visa that Djokovic is currently in Australia with.

It will become clear in the coming days whether the tennis star will also take part in the Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic: Reports of new investigations against Djokovic unconfirmed

+++ 1.30 p.m .:

Novak Djokovic has to be patient.

It is not yet clear whether the tennis superstar will be allowed to compete at the Australian Open.

But at least no further investigations into unauthorized entry await him for the time being.

Numerous media in Germany, including the Bild newspaper, reported that the authorities in Spain were also investigating his entry as an unvaccinated citizen of Serbia.

Djokovic had trained in Marbella in preparation for the Australian Open.

But now the Spanish Ministry of the Interior has commented on the rumours.

"The reports are false.

The government has not ordered anything of the sort, and there are no police investigations against the athlete," a ministry spokesman told Politico.

Novak Djokovic: Participation in the Australian Open is still not clear

+++ 11.45 a.m .:

It is not yet certain whether Novak Djokovic can actually take part in the Australian Open after his entry posse. The decision, which was actually scheduled for Thursday, will now be postponed again. As reported by the Australian newspaper The Age, the tennis star would do everything in his power to defend himself against expulsion by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke. The Serb's lawyers are apparently preparing an appeal to challenge a possible deportation in court. The newspaper reports this with reference to a source close to the world number one.

Hawke is expected to announce his decision on Friday.

The examination of documents from Djokovic's legal counsel caused the latest delay.

For organizational reasons, the organizers are hoping for a decision from the minister before the start of the tournament on Monday, due to the unclear situation, the 20-time Grand Slam winner was part of the draw.

Australian Open: Tsitsipas criticizes Djokovic for entry farce

+++ 10.45 a.m .:

Tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas sharply criticized Novak Djokovic for wanting special treatment at the Australian Open.

“No one would have thought that you could just come to Australia unvaccinated and not follow the protocol they set out.

It's very daring to do that and risk participating in a Grand Slam," Tsitsipas told Ntv.

Djokovic's appearance is a fatal signal, according to the Greek athlete.

"Each individual, a very small minority, has decided to go their own way, which kind of makes the rest, the majority, look like chumps," Tsitsipas said in the interview.

Australian Open: Djokovic has his first opponent - Kerber with a lot of bad luck in the draw

+++ 9.40 a.m .:

At the start of the Australian Open, Olympic champion Alexander Zverev will meet his compatriot Daniel Altmaier on Monday, as the draw on Thursday showed. The other German participants got some challenging opponents, so Jan-Lennard Struff, who was seeded in 51st place, plays on the current number 57, the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp. Dominik Koepfer from Furtwangen initially duels with Spaniard Carlos Taberner, Cologne's Oscar Otte has to deal with Tseng Chun Hsin from Taipei. In addition, Peter Gojowczyk plays against Benjamin Bonzi from France, Philipp Kohlschreiber plays against the Italian Marco Cecchinato.

In the women's category, number 16 seeded Angelique Kerber was drawn a tough opening opponent for her first-round match with Kaia Kanepi from Estonia.

In addition to the Melbourne winner of 2016, Andrea Petkovic is also seeded, who plays the outsider role against world number four Barbora Krejcikova from the Czech Republic.

In addition, Tatjana Maria scores against the Greek Maria Sakkari, who is number five in the world in the tournament.

  • Men's first round matches:

  • Alexander Zverev (Hamburg/No.3) - Daniel Altmaier (Kempen)

  • Jan-Lennard Struff (Warstein) - Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands)

  • Dominik Koepfer (Furtwangen) - Carlos Taberner (Spain)

  • Oscar Otte (Cologne) - Tseng Chun Hsin (Taipei)

  • Peter Gojowczyk (Munich) - Benjamin Bonzi (France)

  • Philipp Kohlschreiber (Augsburg) - Marco Cecchinato (Italy)

  • Women's first round matches:

  • Angelique Kerber (Kiel/No. 16) - Kaia Kanepi (Estonia)

  • Andrea Petkovic (Darmstadt) - Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic/No. 4)

  • Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau) - Maria Sakkari (Greece/No. 5)

Australian Open: Djokovic before Serbian first-round duel - if he is allowed to play

First report from January 13, 2022, 8:30 a.m.:

Melbourne – Novak Djokovic already has an opponent.

The 34-year-old tennis player would meet his Serbian compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of the Australian Open - if he were allowed to play.

A decision as to whether Djokovic can compete in the first Grand Slam of the year should be made today, Thursday (January 13).

The tennis tournament in Australia is scheduled to start on Monday*.

Novak Djokovic is actually number one for the Australian Open.

But the tennis superstar is still not vaccinated against Corona*.

However, according to Australian legislation, such a vaccination is necessary in order to obtain a valid visa.

Alex Hawke, Australia's Minister of Immigration, made the final decision on Djokovic's residence status and thus indirectly on his participation in the tennis tournament.

However, that is still not certain, which is why the draw for the first round of the Australian Open took place with an hour delay.

Australian Open: Is Novak Djokovic playing or not?

But now the tournament tree of the Australian Open is fixed. Alexander Zverev is on the same half as Novak Djokovic. The two could meet in the semifinals, as they did at the Tokyo Olympics and the US Open. In Tokyo, the undisputed number one in German tennis prevailed against Djokovic. In New York (USA*), on the other hand, the Serb was ahead. Zverev meets Daniel Altmaier in a German duel in the first round.

The preparation for the Australian Open could hardly have gone worse for Novak Djokovic.

The number one in the world rankings was stopped upon his arrival at the airport and initially taken to a deportation hotel because the border officials did not have the documents for his medical exemption permit.

Djokovic successfully defended himself against the decision in court on Monday and has been training in Melbourne ever since.

He has already won the Australian Open nine times and is the defending champion.

Overall, Djokovic has already won 20 Grand Slams.

A win at the Australian Open would make him the sole record holder and arguably the best tennis player of all time.

Australian Open: The winners in the men's singles tournament

2021

Novak Djokovic

2020

Novak Djokovic

2019

Novak Djokovic

2018

Roger Federer

2017

Roger Federer

2016

Novak Djokovic

2015

Novak Djokovic

2014

Stan Wawrinka

2013

Novak Djokovic

2012

Novak Djokovic

2011

Novak Djokovic

Australian Open: The mood is clearly against Novak Djokovic

If Novak Djokovic still competes at the Australian Open despite all the quarrels, he will probably have to prepare for a few whistles from the audience "Down Under".

His sympathy values ​​are likely to have suffered significantly from the vaccination posse.

This is also proven by a recording from Australian television, more precisely from the station "Channel 7".

In preparation for their show, Rebecca Maddern and Mike Amor chatted about the tennis star - and got very clear.

"It doesn't matter how you approach it.

He's a lying, sneaky..." says Maddern and Amor adds: "Asshole." The two spend over a minute berating Djokovic and picking apart his defense.

Djokovic admitted on Wednesday that he took part in an interview in Serbia in December despite knowing that the corona test had been positive.

In addition, there was an "accidental" misrepresentation on his immigration form regarding his travel activities before flying to Melbourne.

(dil/tu with AFP/SID/dpa/epd)

*fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

Source: merkur

All sports articles on 2022-01-14

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