Novak Djokovic can remain in Australia, court rules

A spokesperson for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has told CNN that 96% of the WTA’s top 100 players are now fully vaccinated.

Full vaccination equated to two doses where appropriate, added the spokesperson. The figure was previously 85%.

The issue of vaccinations in professional tennis has shot to prominence amid controversy surrounding men’s world number one Novak Djokovic.

The Serb had his Australian visa canceled last week after authorities determined he did not qualify for a medical exemption from the rule that all arrivals to Australia must be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic trains in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open tennis tournament on Tuesday.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) is investigating whether Novak Djokovic submitted a false travel declaration ahead of arrival in Australia, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

Djokovic declared he had not traveled and would not do so in the 14 days leading to his arrival in Australia on Wednesday January 5, according to a travel declaration submitted as evidence to the court determining whether he would be allowed to remain in Australia.  

Various pictures taken during that two-week period appear to show Djokovic in both Spain and Serbia.

While court documents show that Tennis Australia filled out the travel declaration on Djokovic’s behalf, the information used was provided by Djokovic, an ABF officer at Melbourne airport on January 5 determined.  

The penalty for submitting a false travel declaration carries a maximum penalty of 12 months prison, according to the Australian Department of Home Affairs website. 

Djokovic’s media team has not responded to CNN’s requests for comment. 

The ABF investigation comes as Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke considers whether to exert his personal power to cancel Djokovic’s reinstated visa. 

Melbourne residents were split on the Djokovic visa situation when CNN took to the streets of the Australian Open host city on Tuesday.

Here’s what they had to say:

Kate Needham, 50, a technology consultant and Melbourne resident said Djokovic is “good for the game.”

“But I’m not sure that he’s actually done everything he should have done to be able to play and coming to Australia, though he was issued a visa.”

A Melbourne lawyer, who did not want to be named, supported Djokovic’s presence in Australia.

“I probably have an unpopular opinion. I don’t mind it, but I thought it was good for him to be here and good for the spirit of the Open,” they said.

Nelson Shaw, 41, a teacher in the city, disagreed, saying “it’s a double standard.”

“He’s no different to anyone else, but yet there’s been special considerations made for him,” Shaw said.

GP Linda Dodgson, 52, said Djokovic “should be treated the same as everybody.”

“If he’s unvaccinated he should either quarantine like everybody else or be deported, otherwise it’s unfair. Just because you’re rich and famous, why should you be treated anyway else?”

Visitors at the Melbourne Park tennis centre in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Australia’s immigration minister is still considering whether to remove Novak Djokovic from the country, 24 hours after a judge ruled the tennis star could stay.

Cars line up at the Warringah Aquatic Centre Histopath Pathology Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic on January 10, in Sydney, Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Tuesday the country must “keep moving forward” after it surpassed 1 million total reported Covid-19 cases amid a surge in new infections driven by the Omicron variant. 

New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, accounts for nearly half a million cases since the pandemic began, according to a CNN tally. On Monday, it reported 18 Covid-related deaths, according to NSW Health — the highest single day total for the state.

As of Monday night, the number of active cases in the country stands at nearly 588,000, of which 445,000 came under investigation in the previous seven days, according to data issued by the Department of Health, States & Territories. 

Despite the emergence of Omicron, Morrison has dismissed the possibility of a lockdown.

On Tuesday, New South Wales reported 25,870 new cases and Victoria — the state that’s home to Australian Open host, Melbourne — added 37,994 new infections, according to state health authorities. 

The Djokovic saga has now reached levels of international diplomacy after the Prime Ministers of Australia and Serbia discussed the situation in a call on Tuesday.

It comes as Australia’s immigration minister considered stepping in to remove the tennis player from the country, despite the court ruling in his favor.

Djokovic won an appeal to have his visa cancellation quashed Monday, drawing a warning from the Australian government that it reserved the right to use the personal powers of Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to remove him.

Hawke’s office said late Monday the minister had not yet decided. No public statement has been offered by Hawke’s office so far on Tuesday.

Following hours of deliberations and technical glitches, an Australian judge on Monday quashed the government’s decision to cancel Novak’s Djokovic’s visa and ordered him to be freed.

It is still unclear whether Djokovic will play in the Australian Open, which begins on January 17, as Australia’s immigration minister still has the power to cancel his visa. However, the Serb tennis star has returned to training and made it clear he intends to play.

Here’s a recap of Monday’s events:

What happened: Monday’s hearing was to determine whether Djokovic could remain in Australia. He had arrived on January 5, only to have his visa canceled and face temporary detention because he did not have a valid medical exemption for the Covid-19 vaccination requirement for all arrivals.

Why: Djokovic was under the impression he could enter the country because he had received a medical exemption from the tournament organizers, which had been granted on the grounds that he had natural immunity after being infected with Covid-19 in December, his defense argued.

The government’s legal defense argued the tennis star did not provide evidence why he could not be vaccinated against Covid-19, adding that a previous Covid infection did not equate to a valid medical reason why he could not get the shot.

What the judge said: Justice Anthony Kelly appeared to acknowledge Djokovic’s position, saying he was “agitated” by the burden placed on the tennis star. But the final decision to reinstate the visa was because Djokovic had not been given sufficient notice of his visa cancelation, or enough time by the government to prepare materials.

Further controversy: It emerged from Djokovic’s sworn affidavit that he knew he had tested positive for Covid-19 on the same day he was photographed at three events, where none of the other participants were masked. The following day, he was also photographed at a youth awards event.

Beyond tennis: Djokovic’s situation runs much deeper than a rejected visa. His dispute coincides with a steep rise in Australia’s Covid-19 cases, which are approaching a pandemic total of 1 million. For many Australians, memories of painful border closures and other Covid restrictions remain fresh.

It has also highlighted the plight of asylum seekers in Australia — with dozens of refugees held inside the same detention hotel Djokovic stayed in who have been locked up for years, and who face indefinite detention under the country’s tough immigration rules.

An Australian judge’s stunning dismissal of the government’s hasty attempt to deport the world No. 1 men’s tennis player is a spectacular defeat for an administration that prides itself on strong borders.

Judge Anthony Kelly’s ruling that Novak Djokovic be freed to contest the Australian Open overruled the government’s insistence that he should be barred for failing to prove he is exempt from being inoculated against Covid-19.

Australia’s small but vocal group of anti-vaxxers see Djokovic as a hero who took on the state — and won. Others, especially those from Australia’s Serbian community, see him as a victim of unfair persecution. On Monday night, supporters crowded the streets outside the office of the Serb’s Melbourne lawyer chanting, “Free Novak. Free Novak. Free Novak.”

But for many Australians, the problem wasn’t about Djokovic’s paperwork — it was whether he considered himself above the country’s pandemic rules at a time when Covid-19 case numbers are soaring.

On Monday, as Djokovic’s lawyers argued their client did everything humanly possible to satisfy the government’s requirements for an exemption from vaccination, Australia’s Covid-19 cases neared a pandemic total of 1 million.

On the surface, those numbers may suggest the unvaccinated Djokovic doesn’t pose a serious health risk to the Australian public, as the government argued. It may also suggest that Australia’s strict anti-Covid measures have ended — and in many ways they have.

However, for millions of Australians, memories of uncompromising border closures and other pandemic restrictions remain fresh.

Months before a federal election, it can be assumed the ruling Liberal Party decided that allowing Djokovic into the country contradicted its messaging that vaccinations are the way out of the pandemic, and that the pain of the past two years to keep Covid cases low was worth it.

But in losing the court challenge, the government may have only succeeded in casting one of the world’s most prominent anti-vaxxers as a victim and its officials as bullies using their executive power to make a political point.

Read the full analysis:

Police personnel watch pro-refugee protestors rally outside the Park Hotel, where Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic is believed to be held while he stays, in Melbourne, Australia, January 10, 2022. REUTERS/Sandra Sanders

Related article Analysis: Djokovic won his court case but few Australians are cheering

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) called the series of events leading up to Novak Djokovic’s country hearing on Monday, “damaging on all fronts” – including to the athlete’s well-being, according to a statement from the association on Monday.

ATP added that player medical exemption requests are made independently of the association but that it has been in “constant contact” with Tennis Australia to “seek clarity throughout this process.” The association welcomed the outcome of Monday’s hearing, in which a judge quashed the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa.

The association said it continues to strongly recommend vaccination for all players on the ATP tour, calling it “essential for our sport to navigate the pandemic.” It added that 97 percent of the Top 100 players are vaccinated leading into this year’s Australian Open.

“The ATP fully respects the sacrifices the people of Australia have made since the onset of COVID-19 and the stringent immigration policies that have been put in place,” the association said. It added, “Complications in recent days related to player entry into Australia have however highlighted the need for clearer understanding, communication and application of the rules.” 

On Monday, a judge in Melbourne ruled that tennis star Novak Djokovic should be released from detention, and the government’s cancellation of his visa overruled.

If you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of events that have led up to now.

According to Djokovic’s affidavit: