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Melbourne (AFP) – The final legal battle between world tennis number one Novak Djokovic and the Australian government began on Sunday, with the Serbian, who has not been vaccinated for Covit-19, seeking to expel him from the country, citing “health problems”. Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne.
The three judges of the court heard the arguments of the tennis player and the government representatives from 9:30 am local time (23:30 GMT Saturday).
He was allowed to leave the detention center where he was being held on Saturday, and Djokovic continued his investigation online from his lawyers’ offices. The “final match”, which could have long-term consequences for the 34-year-old Serbian, has become accustomed to more intense competition.
Ahead of the first rocket shots at the Australian Open, “Knoll” hopes to win his 21st Grand Slam title, while the interim inquiry will have to decide whether to send the Serbian home immediately or ban him from Australian territory for three years. Instead he can play in the tournament.
He says it promotes “anti-vaccine sentiment” and could prevent Australians from getting booster shots as the Omigran variant continues to spread at a rapid pace.
“Internal unrest”
The minister said the presence of the champion in Australia would “lead to a rise in domestic unrest” and on Friday revoked Djokovic’s visa for the second time under his discretionary authority, citing “health and environmental reasons. Public order”.
Although Djokovic described the risk of affecting Australians, the minister considered his past “contempt” of health rules against Govt as a bad example.
Before federal court on Sunday morning, Joko’s lawyers described their client’s detention and his dismissal as “irrational”, “irrational” and “unreasonable.”
This is the second time a Serbian has been deported.
He was detained when he arrived in Australia on January 5 and was remanded in administrative custody for the first time. The player, who contracted Govt-19 in December, hoped to be exempt from entering the country without the vaccine, but officials did not accept this explanation.
The Australian government suffered a humiliating setback on January 10 when a judge stopped Djokovic’s deportation, restored his visa and ordered his immediate release.
The immigration minister, however, revoked his visa for a second time on Friday under his discretion, and Djokovic returned to the Park Hotel on Saturday morning, now the world-famous strict detention center for illegal aliens.
In a statement on Wednesday, Djokovic admitted that he had incorrectly filled out his entry notice for Australia.
“Incompetence”
The player, who holds 86 ATP titles, was spotted in Serbia and Spain two weeks before his arrival, pleading “human error”, contrary to what he had announced in the immigration form upon his arrival.
The Twisty soap opera is taking place in a country that has endured some of the world’s toughest anti – Govt restrictions for nearly two years, and elections are scheduled for May.
Hence a turbulent political environment. Pressure has intensified around Conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has been accused of “incompetence” by the Labor opposition.
The Djokovic affair is being actively pursued in Serbia, where “Knoll” is considered a national player. On Friday, President Alexander Vui accused Australia of “misbehaving”.
© 2022 AFP
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