Novak Djokovic had the option of getting vaccinated before becoming infected with Covid-19 in December, a lawyer representing Australia’s immigration minister told the court on Sunday.
After arriving in Australia on January 5, the Serbian star told Australian Border Force agents that he had tested positive for the virus on December 16 – and said he had not been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Stephen Lloyd, a lawyer for Immigration Secretary Alex Hawke, said the court had vaccines available before Djokovic tested positive for Covid-19 in December – and no reason was given why Djokovic could not have been vaccinated.
He said that suggested that Djokovic was not inclined to be vaccinated, demonstrating his anti-vaccination stance.
Earlier in the hearing, Djokovic’s lawyers pointed to an article published on January 6 stating that Djokovic objected to vaccinations in April 2020.
Djokovic’s lawyers argued that the comments were made before vaccines were even available, and the article also quotes players as saying he would keep an “open mind”.
But Lloyd referred to that same article and said it doesn’t ignore the government’s argument: “We’re saying it strengthens it anyway.”
He added that the article showed that Djokovic was against Covid-19 vaccines even before they were available.