Djokovic Will Be Granted Visa For 2023 Australian Open
Despite being deported from the country before this year’s Australian Open in January, local media sources on Tuesday stated that former world number one Novak Djokovic will be given a visa to participate in the tournament in 2023.
According to national broadcaster ABC and other domestic media, the Australian government decided to reverse a three-year ban after the Serbian player’s expulsion by granting him a visa for the Grand Slam match.
AFP contacted Tennis Australia and Australia’s Immigration Ministry for comments on the rumors.
Nine-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic was forced to board a plane before this year’s competition as a result of a contentious legal dispute over his visa status, which cast a shadow over the competition.
The centre-left government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, which is different from the conservative coalition in power when Djokovic was expelled, has the discretion to overturn the three-year ban.
There have been indications over the past month that the Australian government may rethink its mind.
Djokovic said to reporters after winning his first match at the ATP Finals in Turin on Monday night, “Nothing official yet.
“We’re holding out. They are in contact with the Australian government. That is all I have to say at this time.
Love to return
Djokovic recently spent time with Australian Open director Craig Tiley, who claimed last month that the Serbian player wants to return for the first major of the year in Melbourne in January.
“At this point, we’re saying that Novak and the federal government need to resolve the issue. At the formal tournament launch, Tiley told The Age newspaper, “And then we’ll follow any direction after that.
“I did spoke to Novak a little bit at the Laver Cup. We talked broadly. He stated that while he would undoubtedly adore returning to Australia, he is aware that the federal government will have the final say in the matter.
“He agreed to take the job. They have a confidential subject to discuss.
When Djokovic was deported, opposition lawmaker Karen Andrews, who was minister of home affairs at the time, claimed that he shouldn’t receive preferential treatment.
If suddenly Novak Djokovic is allowed back into the country just because he is a highly-regarded tennis player with many millions of dollars, it would be a slap in the face for those Australians who did the right thing, got immunized, and took all the necessary precautions, she said on ABC radio last month.
Djokovic claimed to have gotten a medical exemption to enter the nation without getting immunized since he had recently recovered from Covid-19 when he landed in Melbourne in January for the first Grand Slam of the year.
However, Australian border agents determined that he did not fulfill the criteria to be exempt from strict vaccination requirements, thus his visa was cancelled and a drawn-out court appeal was unsuccessful.
Since then, Australia no longer requires travelers to produce documentation of their Covid vaccination.
