The tennis star Novak Djokovic tries in court to allow his entry to Australia. The official hearing in Melbourne started with a delay.
The court hearing about the threatened deportation of tennis star Novak Djokovic from Australia began after technical problems. The spokesman for the federal court in Melbourne, Bruce Phillips, confirmed on Monday morning (local time) that the hearing had started about half an hour late after an online glitch. Djokovic is said to be following the hearing from his accommodation.
His lawyer Nicholas Wood first set out the circumstances under which the tennis player boarded the plane in Dubai that took him to Australia. Djokovic had submitted the required forms as per the instructions. Wood told Judge Anthony Kelly that the law does not require attendees to provide evidence of a medical contraindication, but Djokovic has provided this voluntarily.
The 34-year-old world number one, who had repeatedly criticized corona vaccinations, landed in Melbourne on Wednesday evening after he said he had received an exemption from the organizers of the Australian Open for entry without proof of vaccination. However, the Australian border guards did not recognize this and withdrew his visa.
Lawyers cite PCR testing as evidence
Djokovic’s lawyers want to have the cancellation withdrawn. They argue that Djokovic’s application for a waiver was approved by two independent medical bodies. They cited a positive corona test of the Serbian player on December 16 as the reason for the approval. They criticized the fact that Djokovic was largely isolated for eight hours after arriving at Melbourne airport and was held without contact with his lawyers.
Djokovic has been housed in the “Park Hotel” since Thursday, a controversial facility in which the authorities also detain migrants threatened with deportation. According to Djokovic’s lawyers, all requests to move him to another facility have failed. According to Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, the Serbian government has now made sure that he “gets gluten-free food, exercise equipment and a laptop”.
The tennis star’s lawyers are urging the court to make a quick decision. They asked the judge to decide “at the earliest possible point in time” – without waiting for his legal arguments to be worked out. This could be published later. Judge Anthony Kelly has already made it clear that the judiciary will not allow itself to be rushed.
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