Australia cancels Novak Djokovic’s visa for 2nd time

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Novak Djokovic Erste Bank Open - Day 7
Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his quarter finals match against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy on day seven of the Erste Bank Open tennis tournament at Wiener Stadthalle on October 30, 2020 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
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Australia has cancelled Novak Djokovicโ€˜s visa for a second time.

The 34-year-old tennis star had his visa revoked on January 6th after arriving Down Under โ€“ where he is hoping to play in the Australian Open next week to defend his title โ€“ and he was detained at an immigration facility, and while that was overturned by a judge on Monday (10.01.22), it has now been taken away again on โ€œhealth and good orderโ€ grounds.

As a result, Djokovic โ€“ who has not been vaccinated โ€“ could now be deported from the country, but he can still challenge the decision.

Australiaโ€™s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said in a statement: โ€œToday I exercised my power โ€ฆ 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.โ€

Djokovicโ€™s visa was initially revoked after it was deemed he had โ€œfailed to provide appropriate evidenceโ€ to receive a vaccine exemption.

It was later revealed he had tested positive for COVID last month, and earlier this week the star admitted to breaking isolation while COVID positive when he attended a newspaper interview.

Djokovic insisted he โ€œdidnโ€™t want to let the journalist downโ€, but the sportsman admitted that was an โ€œerror of judgementโ€.

Whatโ€™s more, the world number one menโ€™s tennis player revealed that on his travel declaration form a box was ticked claiming he hadnโ€™t visited any other countries in the 14 days prior to his flight to Australia.

The star has since insisted his agent ticked the โ€œnoโ€ box by mistake, putting it down to โ€œhuman errorโ€.

He added: โ€œOn the issue of my travel declaration, this was submitted by my support team on my behalf โ€“ as I told immigration officials on my arrival โ€“ and my agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to Australia.

โ€œThis was a human error and certainly not deliberate. We are living in challenging times in a global pandemic and sometimes these mistakes can occur.

โ€œToday, my team has provided additional information to the Australian Government to clarify this matter.

โ€œWhile I felt it was important to address and clarify misinformation I will not be making any further comment out of utmost respect for the Australian Government and their authorities and the current process.

โ€œIt is always an honour and a privilege to play in the Australian Open. The Australian Open is much-loved by players, fans and the community, not just in Victoria and in Australia, but around the globe, and I just want to have the opportunity to compete against the best players in the world and perform before one of the best crowds in the world.โ€