CANBERRA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The world tennis men's singles "brother" Jokovic issued a statement on the 16th that he respected the ruling of the Australian Federal Court on the same day and would leave Australia and could not participate in the 2022 Australian Open, which was unveiled a day later.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and many other local media forwarded Djokovic's statement on the same day. In his statement, Djokovic said he was extremely disappointed because the Australian court rejected his application on the same day as a judicial review of the decision of Australian Immigration Minister Hawke to cancel his visa. "I respect the court's ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities on my exit." He said.
Dzokovic at the Australian Open (14 February 2021). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Bai Xuefei
After the Australian government revoked Djokovic's visa for the second time this month, his legal team confronted the Australian government again on the 16th. Previously, the Australian court made a ruling on the 10th to overturn the decision of the relevant departments of the Australian government to revoke the Djokovic Australian visa. But four days later, Hawke announced that he had once again revoked the Australian Open 'nine-timer' visa "on the grounds of health and good order". On the 16th, after the Australian court ruled, the "visa storm" that lasted for about 10 days ended.
One reason for the storm was that Djokovic applied for a medical exemption to allow him to enter Australia without being vaccinated against COVID-19 on the grounds that he tested positive for COVID-19 in December 2021 and had recovered. In response, Tennis Australia medical officials approved his exemption. Australian media reported that he was also prompted by the Australian travel declaration website to enter the country. However, after arriving in Melbourne on January 5, he was blocked from entering the country by the Australian border department, his visa was revoked, and the Australian government was clear that it did not meet the entry requirements of Australia.
Dzhukovic at the Australian Open (10 February 2021). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Bai Xuefei
Around the "visa storm", there have been different voices in Australia recently. Some analysts, players and Australian media said that with the vast majority of Australian Open players able to comply with vaccination entry requirements, Djokovic could have followed the rules to avoid the storm. At the same time, some analysts said that some people are shifting the focus of public opinion in Australia under the epidemic through the "struggle" with Djokovic, so that the front-page news of major platforms of Australian media has become Djokovic's visa issue.
More than 10 days after arriving in Australia, Djokovic once accepted "immigration detention" in a designated hotel in Australia and was unable to fully prepare for the Australian Open.
In a statement on the 16th, he said that he would take some time to rest and recover before making any further statements. He also expressed his gratitude to his family, fans and fellow Serbians for their support. "You have all given me a lot of strength".
In 2021, Djokovic won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon men's singles titles, equaling the 20 Grand Slam singles championship record held by Federer and Nadal in the Open era.
Editors: Zheng Zhi, Yu Sihui, Zhou Xin