Johannesburg- The World’s number one, Novak Djokovic had no choice but to head home, after he lost his bid to avoid deportation from Australia.
He initiated his departure, just before the Australian Open began on Sunday.
The 11-day dispute over his Covid-19 vaccination status, to make his way to the Australian Open has finally drawn to a close.
The chief justice of Australia’s Federal Court, James Allsop, on Sunday dispensed with the unvaccinated tennis superstar’s attempt to reinstate his cancelled visa.
Leaving Australia on Sunday, Djokovic said he was “extremely disappointed” after a Federal Court unanimously upheld the cancellation of his visa on public order grounds.
The Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercised the nuclear option on Friday, cancelling the Serbian tennis star’s visa for the second time.
Djokovic’s lawyers said that one of the reasons stated for the minister’s decision to cancel the visa is that the Serbian could “excite anti-vax sentiment”.
He refused to be vaccinated and sought an exemption with a recent Covid-19 infection, which was only revealed after he was denied entry by the Australian Border Force.
A procedural error gained him a reprieve from a judge only for the world to find out that Djokovic had been making several public appearances in Belgrade even after he suspected a coronavirus infection.
The visa cancellation means the Serbian star is facing a three-year ban from Australia.
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