Will the monarch of the Australian Open be able to convince the local justice that COVID-19 passed in December and that this frees him from mandatory vaccination?
The world tennis number one, Novak Djokovic, will defend in the next few hours his opportunity to be accepted in Australian territory and play the Australian Open: for this he will have to convince the local justice that COVID-19 passed in December and that this It frees you from mandatory vaccination.
Since his arrival in Melbourne in the middle of the week and the cancellation of his entry visa, Djokovic has been held in a migration center in the Australian city.
The hearing in the federal court must begin on Monday at 10:00 local time (18:00 this Sunday in Ecuadorian time). Whatever the court’s decision, an appeal by either party could still extend the tennis player’s stay at the retention center, the former Park Hotel, a five-story facility that houses some 32 migrants trapped in the harsh immigration system. Australian, some for years.
No one can enter or exit except staff.
A handful of protesters gathered Sunday morning on the street in front of the shelter, where hundreds of Djokovic supporters, anti-vaccine activists and migrant advocates marched a day earlier.
Time is running out against the Serbian: With the Australian Open starting on January 17, any delay could complicate the 34-year-old’s aspiration to win his 10th Melbourne crown and 21st Grand Slam tournament, making him in the tennis player with the ‘greatest’ in history, beating his great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Judge Anthony Kelly indicated that the hearing would be held on Monday, rejecting the government’s request to postpone it to Wednesday.
“He wants freedom”
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said at the weekend that Serbia backs the player and had “constructive talks” with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
“We managed to get him to get gluten-free food, exercise equipment, a computer,” he told Serbian television Pink.
This Sunday, Djokovic also received the support of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church: “I will speak of the one who is detained and who wanted his freedom, who wants his freedom,” he declared in a speech in the capital of the Bosnian Serbs, Banja. Luka.
Djokovic’s lawyers presented a 35-page document on Saturday in which they argued that the visa was wrongly canceled and that it must be restored in order for him to compete.
They noted that Djokovic’s PCR test that tested positive on December 16, 2021 meets the criteria for exempting him from the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Australian regulations.
Despite this alleged contagion, Djokovic attended two public events in Belgrade, without a mask, on the same day and the next day, according to different publications on social networks: a ceremony in honor of young Serbian tennis players on December 17 and an act of presentation of a stamp in his honor the day before.
Tennis Australia (the Australian Federation, organizer of the Australian Open), granted him an exemption from participating in the tournament after his application was approved by two independent medical committees, his lawyers said.
Incommunicated in an immigration center
However, the Australian government insists that proof of a recent COVID-19 infection only allows exemption to be granted to residents, not foreigners seeking to enter the country.
Djokovic “is not vaccinated”, insisted this Sunday the lawyers who defend the interests of Australia in a brief of conclusions. “This visa application must be rejected,” they added.
Australia still restricts the entry of foreigners, and those who receive authorization must have a full vaccination or have a medical exemption.
Another tennis player who was going to the Australian Open, Czech Renata Voracova, had her visa canceled after she was initially allowed to enter Australian territory and has already left the country, her country’s government confirmed.
The Australian federation and its president Craig Tiley were accused of having misled tennis players in relation to their vaccination obligations to enter the country.
However, in an internal video released on Saturday, Tiley assured that the entity had done “everything it could.”
Australia tightened restrictions to combat a wave of infections linked to the omicron variant. Only in the state of Victoria, where Melbourne is located, 44,155 new cases were registered this Sunday. (D)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
