The Australian Minister Cancels Djokovic’s Visa

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was scheduled to be detained on Saturday after his second visa was revoked by Australian authorities on Friday. Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said in a statement that Djokovic's visa would be revoked for "health and order" reasons, adding that it was in the public interest. Djokovic's lawyer said he would  appeal as soon as the Australian Open began on Monday, sas Djokovic’s ability to compete for the 21st men's Grand Slam title is increasingly threatened.

Hawke took action four days after Djokovic won a legal victory and was released from the immigration detention that had detained him since he arrived at Melbourne Airport last week. The Minister said the Australian Government had promised to protect the country's borders during the pandemic to justify his decision to revoke his visa. Djokovic's lawyer said at a district court hearing on Friday night that they would appeal the decision, and the judge ordered the government not to deport him while the appeal was being heard. 

After this hearing, the case was transferred to another judge, David O'Callaghan, in the Australian Federal Court. He will chair the new inquiry on Saturday at 10:15 am. Legal experts said O’Callaghan will likely not overturn the decision, even though Djokovic won his first round in court earlier this week for strict procedural reasons. Mary Crock, a law professor at the University of Sydney, said it’s going to be "very, very difficult" to win the appeal. "Natural law and rules of  procedure do not apply," she said. Therefore, the only successful way to appeal is to prove that there was no public interest basis for the visa to be revoked. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, led by Hawke discovered that Djokovic made false statements about a document he submitted to border authorities when he tried to enter Australia last week. These documents did not show that Djokovic, who lives in Monte Carlo,  traveled between Serbia and Spain during the 14 days before arriving in Australia. Hawke made his decision as Australia is in the midst of the worst fight against the coronavirus.