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Tennis star Novak Djokovic
Photo: Mark Baker/AP
Four days after tennis star Novak Djokovic rejected his appeal against the annulment of his visa, the Federal Supreme Court announced its reasoning.
It was therefore reasonable for the Australian government to assume that the Serbian tennis pro had an anti-vaccination attitude and was "a threat to the population".
This emerges from the documents that the court published on Thursday.
"A world tennis star can influence people of all ages, whether young or old, but perhaps especially the young and the easily impressed," said the three judges.
Even if Djoković hadn't won the Australian Open, the fact that he plays tennis in Australia could have encouraged those who want to be like him and fueled anti-vaccination sentiment, it said.
The Djokovic side had previously argued that it was inappropriate to portray the Serbian tennis star as anti-vaccination and that Immigration Minister Alex Hawke could not know his attitude.
However, the court saw it as proven that the government's view was justified, also because Djoković had decided against vaccination.
After days of legal disputes, the federal court in Melbourne declared the visa withdrawal legal last Sunday.
The world number one then had to leave Australia and cannot defend his title at the current Australian Open.
Djokovic had traveled to Australia unvaccinated because he wanted to take part in the Grand Slam tournament with a medical exemption.
However, when he entered the country, his visa was canceled because the 34-year-old Serb could not provide sufficient documentation for the special permit.
aha/dpa
