New Delhi: In a fresh twist, the Australian government has cancelled World No. 1 Novak Djokovic's visa to Australia for the second time. Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke informed that Djokovic faces likely three-year ban on new Australian visa, reports AFP.
After the decision by Immigration Minister, Djokovic now faces deportation.
"Today I exercised my power... to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so," the minister said in his statement revoking Serbian's visa.
Novak Djokovic is not vaccinated against the covid-19 and Australia has a strict policy due to the ensuing pandemic. Djokovic landed in Australia claiming exemption.
Djokovic's visa was first revoked on January 6 shortly after his arrival in Melbourne. Australian authorities said the tennis star "failed to provide appropriate evidence" to receive a vaccine exemption. He was detained.
Days later Djokovic's visa was reinstated by a judge ruling that Australian border officials ignored correct procedure when he arrived.
The matter took another turn when Novak Djokovic himself admitted to testing covid-19 positive in December and not following covid protocols related to isolation.
In his visa application, the information provided regarding covid isolation was faulty, which the tennis player blamed on his agent and called a "human error."
This decision also comes after Australian Open 2022 held its main draw on Thursday, after much delay, and included the 20-time Grand Slam champion in the bracket.