One moment Novak Djokovic was posing triumphantly on the tarmac as he prepared to board a flight to Melbourne. The next he was being detained for nine hours in a room at Tullamarine Airport, where his hopes of defending the Australian Open title were reduced to tatters as his visa was revoked and he was informed he would need to leave the country.
It was a dramatic late twist in the tortuous tale of Djokovic’s campaign to play at Melbourne Park, which seemed finally to have reached a conclusion when the Serb announced on Tuesday that he had been granted a medical exemption to compete.
All players and staff at the Australian Open must be fully inoculated against Covid-19 unless able to provide a valid medical reason. Infection within the last six months is among those criteria, and it is believed Djokovic made his case on that basis. But while that was enough to satisfy the two expert panels tasked with approving exemptions, the federal government requirements are more exacting.
When quizzed by border officials, the world No 1 was unable to provide the evidence needed to meet entry requirements, with reports claiming that he failed to produce adequate proof of the grounds for his medical dispensation and that his team did not apply for a visa allowing him into the country without vaccination.
“The ABF can confirm that Mr Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled,” said a statement from the Australian Border Force. “Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia.”
Faced with deportation, Djokovic was conveyed to a hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton normally used to detain refugees. The 34-year-old will remain there until at least Monday, when a court appeal will be heard, after the Serb’s lawyers successfully applied for an interim injunction against the decision. They have also asked if Djokovic can be relocated to a hotel with a tennis court.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the sport, with the tremors felt at the highest levels of political office.
Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, thanked border force officials for “doing their job”, reaffirming his stance that there would be no preferential treatment for Djokovic. “Rules are rules and there are no special cases,” said Morrison.
“The ABF has done their job: entry with a visa requires double vaccination or a medical exemption. I’m advised that such an exemption was not in place, and as a result [Djokovic] is subject to the same rule as anyone else.
“I also want to stress that, ultimately, this is the responsibility of the traveller. It is for the traveller to be able to assert and back up their ability to come into the country, consistent with our laws.”
However, Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, came out fighting following a phone call with Djokovic. “Our authorities are taking all measures to stop the harassment of the best tennis player in the world in the shortest possible period,” Vucic wrote on Instagram. “In accordance with all norms of international public law, Serbia will fight for Novak Djokovic, for justice and truth.”
Djokovic’s father, Srdjan, who told Serbian news outlets that his son was being held “captive” in a room guarded by two policemen, railed against the actions of the Australian authorities.
“Tonight they can throw him in a dungeon, tomorrow they can put him in chains,” Srdjan allegedly told the Serbian media. “The truth is, he is like water – and water paves its own path. Novak is the Spartacus of the new world, which won’t tolerate injustice, colonialism and hypocrisy.”
Djokovic has repeatedly refused to disclose his vaccination status, but has previously said he is “opposed to vaccination” and “wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel”.