Novak Djokovic faces being deported from Australia—and missing his title defense at the Australian Open—after officials said the world’s top-ranked men’s tennis player had his visa denied for failing to provide sufficient proof for a medical exemption from receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.
Djokovic will be “detained and removed from Australia” and his visa will be cancelled, according to a statement from the Australian Border Force released Thursday morning local time.
The Serbian tennis star was cleared to play in the Australian Open unvaccinated after officials in the state of Victoria approved his medical exemption application, but Djokovic did not provide “appropriate standards of proof” for his exemption to Australian border authorities, Australia’s Minister of Health Greg Hunt said on television Thursday.
Djokovic’s lawyers intend to challenge the government’s decision, anonymous sources told Reuters and Australian newspapers The Age and the Sydney Morning-Herald.
12. That’s how many hours border authorities detained Djokovic at the Melbourne Airport before formally denying his visa.