Djokovic drama: After the Australian Open, he is now threatened with the next Grand Slam

Created: 2022-01-17Updated: 2022-01-17, 12:20 p.m

By: Christoph Klaucke

Novak Djokovic is not allowed to participate in the Australian Open after an entry thriller.

There is also a risk of the end at the next Grand Slam.

The news ticker.

• The Australian Open will start in Melbourne on Monday (January 17).

• Novak Djokovic has to leave Australia, his appeal to have his visa annulled was rejected.

• The tennis star is also threatened with the next Grand Slam

  (see update from January 17, 12:10 p.m.)

  .

• This news ticker is continuously updated.

Update from January 17, 12:10 p.m .:

After being expelled from Australia, tennis world number one Novak Djokovic also faces problems at the second Grand Slam tournament of the year.

As the AFP news agency reported on Monday, citing French government sources, all athletes who want to compete in the country in the future must be vaccinated against the corona virus.

This contradicts what Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu said in early January regarding a Djokovic start at the French Open in Paris (May 22 to June 5).

An athlete "who is not vaccinated can take part in the competition because the protocol, the health bubble of this great sporting event, allows it," the minister told France Info on January 7.

It is not currently necessary to be vaccinated to enter France, but proof of vaccination will be mandatory for anyone entering an "establishment open to the public".

Djokovic is not vaccinated, but according to his own statement, a second corona infection was detected in mid-December.

He is currently considered recovered.

On Sunday evening, the President of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), Gilles Moretton, said that they were working with the public authorities, who "in due course will clarify the rules for the admission of unvaccinated foreign athletes to our tournament".

Djokovic is expected at the airport in his Serbian homeland around 12 p.m. German time.

According to rumors, the 20-time Grand Slam champion wants to face the press for the first time since the visa trouble after landing in Belgrade.

Novak Djokovic: Australia gives tennis star hope for the future

Update from January 17, 9.40 a.m .:

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison is leaving the door open for Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic to return to the country as early as next year.

The head of government indicated this in an interview with Australian radio station 2GB on Monday.

Djokovic had his visa withdrawn by the Australian authorities for three years on Sunday.

A comeback for the 34-year-old at the Australian Open, which the Serb has already won nine times, seems possible as early as 2023.

Regarding the validity of the entry ban, Morrison said: "It lasts for a three-year period, but there is an opportunity (for Djokovic) to come back under the right circumstances." He gave Djokovic hope of entering the country earlier.

That will be dealt with in due course.

Novak Djokovic: Serbia's President raises serious allegations - "treated like a mass murderer"

Update from January 17, 9:35 a.m .:

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has sharply criticized the Australian authorities’ handling of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic. Since his arrival in Australia, the unvaccinated top athlete has been "harassed and tortured," Vucic told the British BBC on Sunday. He was "treated like a mass murderer". A few hours earlier, the Australian federal court had rejected Djokovic's appeal against the annulment of his visa. The 34-year-old has to leave Australia and will not take part in the Australia Open, which starts on Monday.  

The harassment of Djokovic had reached "unprecedented proportions," Vucic said in the Serbian media on Sunday. A "witch hunt" had been sparked against him, and the media had created a "lynch mood". "They wanted to make Novak an example of how the world order works." But Djokovic could return to Serbia "with his head held high".

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic made a similar statement.

She was enraged that the government lawyer in the case before the federal court explained that in Serbia less than 50 percent of the population was double vaccinated.

This is an "open lie", said Brnabic.

"We currently have 58 percent fully vaccinated, and 37 percent received the booster." The numbers that Brnabic gave probably referred to the proportion of vaccinated among the adult population.

According to Our World in Data, it was 47 percent of the total population. 

Novak Djokovic: Family expresses itself in an emotional statement

Update from January 16, 3:25 p.m .:

Novak Djokovic’s family has now also commented on the deportation of the tennis star.

Via the Serbian newspaper

, the family says: "We are proud of the fight he fought.

We'll help him deal with the blows he's taken."

The full statement: "We are very disappointed with the decision of the Federal Supreme Court and the fact that Novak has to leave Australia.

It was not only about sports and games in the first Grand Slam of the season that Novak has dominated for a decade, but also about politics and all interests that have won in this case.

"Despite the scandalous behavior towards Novak, we believed that the sport would win. We believed that the fact confirmed by the court would be respected - that Novak has a valid visa, that justice will be served and that no "public interest" will be an excuse for the decision made," the family continued.

"These are difficult times, especially for Novak, but what we all have to do, especially us as his family, is to support him more than ever.

We will be there to share the blows he received, to help him regain his energy, his confidence in the sport, especially in the fair play that was totally lacking here.

We are proud of him and the strength he showed and the fight he fought with dignity.

We believe he will emerge stronger from this situation and that time will show what he has undeniably always confirmed, which is that he is a great champion and a man.”

Djokovic left Australia - father: "Attack over, 50 bullets in his chest"

Update from January 16, 1:55 p.m .:

After his defeat in a federal court, tennis star Novak Djokovic left Australia on Sunday evening.

The 34-year-old Serb took off at 10:52 p.m. (local time) on flight EK409 from Melbourne to Dubai.

Shortly before 6 p.m., the three judges responsible had rejected the objection by the world number one to the renewed cancellation of his visa on Friday.

Djokovic will miss the Australian Open, which begins on Monday, where he is the record winner with nine wins.

In a written statement, the defending champion had already stated that he was "extremely disappointed with the decision".

However, he had also emphasized that he would respect them and cooperate with the responsible authorities regarding his departure.

Meanwhile, Djokovic's father spoke up: "The assassination attempt on the best athlete in the world is over, 50 bullets in Novak's chest."

Original message:

Melbourne – Nobody could have expected that tennis star Novak Djokovic* would trigger a worldwide controversy when he entered Australia on January 5th.

The unvaccinated world number one wanted to take part in the Australian Open starting on Monday with a special permit, but after a long back and forth his visa was finally withdrawn. 

Novak Djokovic: Entry thriller ended - tennis star has to leave Australia

The entry thriller has been decided: Serbian Novak Djokovic cannot defend his title at the Australian Open and has to leave the country. The world number one lost his visa question before the Australian federal court on Sunday. The court ruled that the 34-year-old's appeal against being refused entry and the annulment of the visa was rejected. The decision was unanimous, according to the announcement by the three judges James Allsop, Anthony Besanko and David O'Callaghan. The reason should be given on Monday, the first day of the Australian Open tournament, at the earliest. Djokovic had to pay the costs of the procedure.

"I am extremely disappointed with the decision," said Djokovic shortly afterwards in a statement from which several media quoted.

The verdict is the final twist in the entry story, which has attracted international interest far beyond the tennis scene for almost two weeks.

"I'm uncomfortable that I've been the focus of the past few weeks and I hope we can all focus on the game and the tournament I love," said Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic: Violent reactions from home Serbia

The reactions from Djokovic's home country of Serbia to the decision were outraged.

“The greatest disgrace in the history of sport happened in Melbourne!

Shame on you, Australia!” wrote the

portal .

"The law has lost, politics has won." The portal

headlined: "Shaken like never before!"

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic reacted with incomprehension to the forthcoming expulsion of Novak Djokovic from Australia.

He said that to the tennis star in a phone call.

On Sunday, Vucic also spoke to the Serbian media again about a "witch hunt" that Djokovic had to endure in the past few days.

Djokovic is apparently not considering any further legal action.

He respected the court's decision and will cooperate with the appropriate authorities regarding his departure from Australia, he said.

According to a report by the AAP news agency, an appeal to the High Court, Australia's highest court, would have been possible.

The chances of success were slim anyway.

Novak Djokovic has to leave Australia.

© James Ross/Imago

Novak Djokovic: Unvaccinated tennis star is not allowed to participate in the Australian Open

Unvaccinated against the coronavirus, Djokovic is a controversial figure in the country that has imposed tough rules since the pandemic began.

He wanted to take part in the Australian Open with a medical exemption, where only vaccinated players are allowed to take part.

The authorities had refused him entry last week.

An initial court decision on Monday was in his favour, Djokovic then continued preparing for the Australian Open.

The 20-time Grand Slam tournament winner has already won the first Grand Slam tournament of the season nine times and most recently triumphed three years in a row.

He is the record champion of the event.

Novak Djokovic misses Australian Open - chance for Zverev?

The hearing before the federal court began at 9:30 a.m. local time on Sunday morning.

Around five hours later, the three judges retired for the verdict before they announced the decision in the early evening.

In the meantime, more than 85,000 people watched the decisive session on the Federal Supreme Court's YouTube channel.

As reported by AAP, Djokovic had followed the meeting from his lawyers' office in Melbourne.

He had spent the night before the hearing at the federal court in a deportation hotel.

He had already been there for four days when he was initially refused entry.

The final negotiation was preceded by a hanging game that lasted for days.

Djokovic said he would now take some time to recover before making any further comments.

With his exit, the chances of the title also increase for Olympic champion Alexander Zverev.

The Hamburger has decided to conquer his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne.