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Australia has cancelled Novak Djokovic‘s visa for a second time.
The 34-year-old tennis star had his visa revoked on January 6th after arriving Down Under – where he is hoping to play in the Australian Open next week to defend his title – 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 “health and good order” grounds.
As a result, Djokovic – who has not been vaccinated – could now be deported from the country, but he can still challenge the decision.
Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said in a statement: “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.”
Djokovic’s visa was initially revoked after it was deemed he had “failed to provide appropriate evidence” 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 “didn’t want to let the journalist down”, but the sportsman admitted that was an “error of judgement”.
What’s more, the world number one men’s tennis player revealed that on his travel declaration form a box was ticked claiming he hadn’t visited any other countries in the 14 days prior to his flight to Australia.
The star has since insisted his agent ticked the “no” box by mistake, putting it down to “human error”.
He added: “On the issue of my travel declaration, this was submitted by my support team on my behalf – as I told immigration officials on my arrival – and my agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to Australia.
“This was a human error and certainly not deliberate. We are living in challenging times in a global pandemic and sometimes these mistakes can occur.
“Today, my team has provided additional information to the Australian Government to clarify this matter.
“While 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.
“It 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.”
