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What: The draw for the Australian Open takes place today, but all eyes are on the country’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke, who could decide in the coming hours whether or not to revoke tennis superstar Novak Djokovic’s restored visa and send him. deportation – which could lead to another legal deadlock.
Djokovic arrived in Australia last week, only to have his visa canceled and face temporary detention for not having a valid medical exemption from the Covid-19 vaccination requirement for all arrivals. A judge ruled Monday that he was allowed to stay and was released.
True: The tournament will take place in Melbourne, where Djokovic arrived last week and will be training on Monday after his release.
Why Djokovic was detained: All international arrivals in Australia must be vaccinated – which Djokovic is not – unless they have a medical clearance. The government argued that it had no valid exemption from the requirement.
Djokovic said he was under the impression he could participate because the tournament organizers granted him a medical exemption because he was infected with Covid-19 in December, his pre-arrival visa had been approved and he was cleared for quarantine. free travel.
Why the judge ruled in his favor: The government had not given Djokovic enough advance notice of the cancellation of his visa or time to prepare materials for his defense, the judge said. After his arrival, Djokovic was told he would have a few hours to prepare, but the government decided to cancel his visa before the deadline they had given.
When: Djokovic tested positive in mid-December and recovered enough to receive a medical exemption from Tennis Australia on December 30, according to court documents. He arrived in Australia on January 5 and was promptly taken into custody. He was released on Monday, January 10. The tournament will run from January 17-30.