
‘Rules are rules’: Australia denies entry to Novak Djokovic | Tennis News
Authorities say tennis champ ‘failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet entry requirements’ amid COVID pandemic.
Australia has cancelled Novak Djokovic‘s visa and denied the men’s number one tennis player entry, the country’s border agency announced on Thursday, saying the sportsman “failed to provide appropriate evidence” to meet entry requirements.
Djokovic, who is from Serbia, earlier said he had obtained a medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination in order to play in the upcoming Australian Open tournament.
But in a statement on Thursday, the Australian Border Force (ABF) said “Mr Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled”.
Djokovic was taken from Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport to the Park Hotel, a government detention hotel notorious for holding refugees, pending his removal. He is expected to be flown out later on Thursday, although there were reports that Djokovic’s lawyers would file an appeal against the decision.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed Djokovic’s visa had been cancelled on social media.
“Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders. No one is above these rules. Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from COVID, we are continuing to be vigilant,” he said on Twitter.

Australia has imposed strict measures to combat COVID-19, including requiring full vaccination, with exemptions for medical reasons, for people entering the country from overseas.
People in Melbourne endured a long and strict lockdown to bring cases under control in 2020, and are now worried about a surge in cases fuelled by the more transmissible Omicron variant.
Many were furious that the unvaccinated player had been granted a visa to play in the Grand Slam tournament, which he has won nine times, and the outcry prompted Morrison to promise to deport Djokovic if he did not provide sufficient evidence to support the exemption.
“There should be no special rules for Novak Djokovic at all. None whatsoever,” the prime minister said during a news conference on Wednesday.
In a dramatic series of events through the Melbourne night, Djokovic touched down at Tullamarine Airport at approximately 11:30pm local time (12:30 GMT) on Wednesday after a 14-hour flight from Dubai, but was ushered into an isolation room under police guard when Australian officials said that his visa did not allow for medical exemptions.
A few hours after their arrival Goran Ivanisevic, the player’s coach, shared a picture on his Instagram account, with the comment and a series of emojis: “Not the most usual trip Down Under.”
Djokovic’s case had sparked confusion, with the government for the state of Victoria, where Melbourne is the state capital, saying it would not support his visa application.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews clarified the process on Wednesday.
“While the Victorian government and Tennis Australia may permit a non-vaccinated player to compete in the Australian Open, it is the Commonwealth government that will enforce our requirements at the Australian border,” Andrews said. “If an arriving individual is not vaccinated, they must provide acceptable proof that they cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons to be able to access the same travel arrangement as fully vaccinated travellers.”
The move by the Australian government threatens to cause a diplomatic incident between Canberra and Belgrade.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had voiced support for Djokovic.
“I told our Novak that the whole of Serbia is with him and that our bodies are doing everything to see that the harassment of the world’s best tennis player is brought to an end immediately,” Vucic said in a statement on Wednesday.
Vucic had summoned the Australian ambassador in Belgrade and demanded that they immediately release Djokovic to play, Serbian media reported.