World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic has been denied entry to Australia after his visa was cancelled, despite being granted permission to play in the Australian Open only 24 hours earlier.
The Serbian tennis star will be flown out of the country later on Thursday but his lawyers will challenge the decision, Australian media report.
Djokovic touched down at Melbourne‘s Tullamarine airport around 11:30 pm Wednesday night AEST, just 24 hours after confirmation that he was given a medical exemption. However, as of 5:00 am on Thursday, the 34-year-old still hasn’t gotten through passport control, and has endured several hours of discussions with Border Force officials.
One source told Melbourne’s Herald Sun:
“They may have to send him or put him in immigration detention.”
Djokovic’s father, Srdjan, is furious about the situation. He confirmed earlier today to Russian news agency Sputnik that his son was ‘isolated in a room‘ at the airport with his support staff banned from entering, even claiming he was under ‘police guard‘.
“I have no idea what’s going on, they’re holding my son captive for five hours.
This is not a fight for the libertarian world, this is not just a fight for Novak, but a fight for the whole world!
If they don’t let him go in half an hour, we will gather on the street, this is a fight for everybody.”
Djokovic, who has won the Australian Open nine times, was set to become the all-time greatest grand slam winner if he had won this year’s edition.
A report by Sky Sports:
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