Djokovic, in the Australian Open box awaiting the decision on his possible deportation

Australia as a whole and tennis fans in general await the decision that Alex Hawke, the country's immigration minister, may make on a second visa withdrawal for Novak Djokovic, whose name appears on the box at the Australian Open. Australia, drawn this Thursday and starting next Monday. After several days awaiting a ruling, it will not be this Thursday when it is known whether the Serbian player will be involved in a second deportation process. Djokovic, world number one, must face his compatriot Miomir Kecmanivic in the first round, ranked 78th in the ATP

―Rafa Nadal will make his debut against the North American Marcos Giron―.

That will be as long as Hawke does not exercise the authority in a personal capacity granted by his position, and cancels his visa again. This decision has been delayed since, last Monday, Judge Anthony Kelly annulled the order applied by the immigration agents who received Djokovic, upon his arrival in Melbourne, and who considered invalid the medical exemption that, on paper, It allowed him to enter Australia bypassing the mandatory 14 days of quarantine for any traveler not vaccinated against covid-19. After being transferred to a hotel, where he remained isolated for five days, the magistrate who instructed the hearing released him, concluding that the Border Forces did not give him enough time to be able to demonstrate the validity of the exemption he had.

Top seed and nine-time #AusOpen champion 🇷🇸 @DjokerNole begins his title defense against Miomir Kecmanovic. # AO2022 pic.twitter.com/96MAlHNElG

- #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 13, 2022

Thereafter, and with Nole preparing for the tournament he already won last year, the focus has turned to the divergences discovered in his entry statement. The tennis player claimed not to have traveled anywhere in the 14 days prior to his arrival in Australia, although images on Instagram later confirmed that he did (he was training in Marbella as well as being in Belgrade). In a statement posted this Wednesday on his Instagram profile, the player apologized for what he classified as a "human error" on the part of his agent. In that same message, he also apologized for having attended an interview on December 18, the day after receiving the PCR test that certified his positive for covid.

All these irregularities are being thoroughly investigated by the Ministry of Immigration led by Hawke, which on paper should have ruled before the celebration of the draw, which was initially scheduled for three in the afternoon (Australian time) this Thursday and that However, he was delayed for an hour and a quarter. Tennis Australia made it known to the media that resolution of the case was imminent, an impression that was welcomed when an appearance by Prime Minister Scott Morrison was immediately announced. However, the leader avoided giving details about the Djokovic case, and limited himself to saying that the matter is in Hawke's hands. Regardless of whether the Belgrade player gets to play or until when they allow him to do so, the organization of the tournament,Hand in hand with the health authorities of the State of Victoria, they have decided to reduce the capacity of the stands to 50% ―the sale of tickets will stop when that percentage is reached―, and the use of masks will be mandatory as long as they are not eating or drinking.

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