Novak Djokovic hits the tennis balls during training in the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne these days as if nothing had ever happened. Preparations for the first Grand Slam tournament of the year are in full swing for the Serbs. But the last word has not yet been spoken in the Corona crime thriller about entering Australia. According to media reports, a decision on whether the world number one will be allowed to stay in Australia after the turbulence that has been noticed around the world will not be made until today.
New information from the 34-year-old Serb’s lawyers had postponed the time frame, said the office of Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke. Other documents had been submitted that could prove relevant to a possible cancellation of Djokovic’s visa. Hawke reserves the right to exercise personal rights and invalidate Djokovic’s visa.
Djokovic was refused entry at Melbourne Airport last week because he was not vaccinated against the coronavirus and the documentation of his medical exemption was insufficient for the authorities. Because the border officials had not given him the agreed time to clarify, the decision was overturned in court on Monday.
The Serb himself has, however, denied deliberate misrepresentation in his entry forms and the endangerment of other people. However, he admitted errors in dealing with his positive test result. The fact that it was incorrectly stated on his entry form that he had not traveled in the 14 days before his flight to Australia was described by Djokovic as a “human error” by his agent, “which was certainly not intentional”.
In his first public statement since entering the country, the nine-time Australian Open winner defended himself against two allegations: Neither did he intentionally make false statements about his travel behavior, nor did he have an event with children in December, knowing his positive corona test visited and moved there without a mask. However, he also admitted that in an interview with the French sports newspaper “L ?? Equipe” on December 18, he already knew about his positive test result and still kept the appointment.
His mother Dijana Djokovic yesterday again urged the Australian government not to revoke her son’s visa at the last minute. “Don’t throw him out. He’s not a politician, he’s a tennis player. He’s not a criminal, he’s not a murderer,” she told Channel 7.
Source: Nachrichten
