‘Really Sad and Disappointed’ – Novak Djokovic Details How Popular Sentiment Led to His Deportation From Australia

It has been a nightmarish start for Novak Djokovic this season. We are in the second month of the 2022 season, but the ATP World No. 1 is yet to step on the court. The Serb was denied a chance to defend his Australian Open crown after his visa controversy led to a dramatic episode.

Further, the world criticized the handling of his case. The events in the turn up to the Australian Open were regularly making the headlines. Recently, Djokovic revealed his take on the circumstances behind his deportation.

Novak Djokovic signals out the reasons behind his deportation from Australia

In an interview with BBC, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said, “So actually, what people probably don’t know is that I was not deported from Australia on the basis that I was not vaccinated, or I broke any rules or that I made an error in my visa declaration. All of that was actually approved and validated by the Federal Court of Australia and the Minister for Immigration.”

Further, he added, “The reason why I was deported from Australia was because the Minister for Immigration used his discretion to cancel my visa based on his perception that I might create some anti-vax sentiment in the country or in the city, which I completely disagree with.”

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Additionally, he stated that he did not make a deliberate error in visa declaration. Summarizing the entire episode, Djokovic said, “I was really sad and disappointed with the way it all ended for me in Australia. It wasn’t easy.”

Djokovic’s visa controversy explained

The Serb had received a vaccine exemption to participate in the Grand Slam Down Under. However, on arriving in Australia, the airport authorities detained him. The officials cited that he had failed to provide sufficient documents to justify his vaccine exemption.

Djokovic decided to appeal against his deportation in the Federal Court of Australia. The initial ruling went in his favor, as judge Anthony Kelly overturned his visa cancelation. However, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercised his powers and canceled his visa. Finally, a day before the commencement of the Australian Open, Djokovic lost the final appeal. Subsequently, he decided to return to his hometown.

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The 34-year-old would be eager to make a strong comeback after this fiasco. He will next play at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships.