Screenshot of foreign media reports
On January 13, Beijing time, according to Insider, a former senior Australian Immigration Officer warned that if Novak Djokovic's visa was cancelled again, then he could be detained by the Border Armed Forces on the field.
While the Serb has already entered the Australian Open draw as the top seed in the men's singles and will face his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of the regular tournament that begins on Monday, at the ATP's current world number one bid for the "Australian Open's ten-crown title" is still in doubt.
When Djokovic entered Australia earlier this month, he confirmed on a travel application form that he had not travelled or would not travel in the 14 days before he flew to Australia on January 4, but since then social media posts have shown that he appeared in Belgrade on December 25 and then in Spain on December 31. After being investigated by the Australian Border Armed Forces for providing false information, he still faces the fate of being deported.
Australia's Minister of Immigration and Immigration Services, Alex Hawke, will decide whether to cancel the visas for Serbs for the second time based on the findings. He expects a decision to be made in the coming days.
According to Abul Rizvi, who served as Australia's deputy minister of immigration from 2005 to 2007, if Hawke chooses to cancel his visa, Djokovic could even be detained while playing tennis on the court.
Djokovic training chart
Despite being cancelled on arrival in Australia on Jan. 5, the 34-year-old Serb has been training at Melbourne Park since Monday after winning a lawsuit to reinstate his visa.
Rizvi told Channel Ten's The Project programme: "He [Hawke] will then receive a cancellation notice from the Australian Border Force, who usually wears very, very dark uniforms and often carries guns, and they will turn to Mr Djokovic's hotel or the tennis court where he is." ”
Rizvi added that the Border Force would then have to "take Djokovic away from the tennis court, most likely under the watchful eye of the world's media, to a detention centre" where he "will remain while seeking applications for any judicial or other vetting process."
Rizvi said people may see Djokovic detained while the Australian Open is in progress.
"There are no easy options here. It's hard to cancel (the visa), and it's also hard not to cancel. He said.
In addition to being deported, Djokovic may also face imprisonment
On a form filled out before Djokovic flew to Australia, there was a warning statement reminding people that the maximum penalty for providing false information is 1 year in prison.
"Providing false or misleading information to the Australian Government is a serious offence. If convicted, then, the maximum penalty is 12 months' imprisonment. The Australian government's travel declaration website reads.
Djokovic admitted to providing false information on his form, but he was quick to blame his agent for saying he filled it out on Djokovic's behalf.
"My agent sincerely apologises for ticking the wrong box before I came to Australia." He said in a statement released Wednesday.
"It was human error, and of course it wasn't intentional. We are living in a challenging period of global pandemic, and sometimes these mistakes can happen. ”
Djokovic may also face jail time in his native Serbia, as he admitted to attending media interviews and photographs in Belgrade on December 18, just two days after he tested positive for COVID-19.
He said he attended the event because he felt "obligated" to do so, but called the decision an "error of judgement."
According to article 248 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia, "during the epidemic of dangerous infectious diseases, failure to comply with sanitary measures aimed at suppressing or preventing diseases" is punishable by a maximum penalty of 3 years' imprisonment.