Australia has gone on to present its defense of Djokovic’s ban in the face of a court battle

By Courtney Walsh and Byron Kayer

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian authorities on Sunday clashed with Novak Djokovic against the decision to ban the world number one in tennis, due to the COVID-19 vaccine situation, as the Serbian superstar spent his fourth day in immigration detention.

Djokovic was expected to win his 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open from next week, but has been limited to a hotel used to accommodate asylum seekers instead of training. He has challenged his decision to cancel his visa after stopping at Melbourne Airport on Thursday morning.

Djokovic went against vaccination orders, failing to explain his vaccination status or the reason for requesting a medical exemption from Australian vaccination rules. He broke his silence with a court on Saturday, saying he had been granted an exemption for contracting and recovering from the virus in December.

The Melbourne drama has shaken the world of tennis, caused tensions between Serbia and Australia, and has become a hotbed for opponents of vaccine orders around the world.

Australia says its health department informed Tennis Australia in November that the organization organizing the tournament had a COVID-19 infection not necessarily a reason to be exempted in the country, as elsewhere. Djokovic’s lawsuit alleges that the Interior Ministry wrote to him this month that he was eligible to enter the country.

Internal Affairs, which was due to present its defense on Sunday, asked for the first session of the case to be extended from Monday to Wednesday, a court representative told Reuters. The petition was dismissed, according to a ruling on the federal court’s website.

Djokovic’s lawyers will have two hours to present their case on Monday at 10:00 GMT, while the government department will have 15 hours to present its defense, the Federal Circuit and Family Court have ruled.

A spokesman for Home Affairs was not immediately available to comment on his legal defense.

HEAD OF REFUGEES

Health Minister Greg Hunt, when asked about his outrage in the media on Sunday, did not comment on his appearance before the court, but said that several other people who took part in the tournament had their visas revoked.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, when asked about the issue on Channel 9 television, told Djokovic without directly mentioning that “there is a clear difference between visa and entry requirements” and “between entry requirements … sit above visa requirements”.

Czech player Renata Voracova, who was arrested at the same detention hotel in Djokovic and had her visa revoked after problems related to the vaccination exemption, left the country without challenging her status, the Czech Foreign Ministry said.

Djokovic’s condition has hardly attracted crowds to Melbourne’s humble hotel, which until this month was known for media reports of asylum-seekers ’occupiers, saying they were serving food to asylum seekers.

Vaccine protesters, refugee advocates and Djokovic fans have gathered outside the building under police custody.

“Novak Djokovic’s arrest has put the world’s focus on the Park Hotel prison, but it is not a game for the 36 refugees detained indefinitely,” said David Glanz, a spokesman for the Refugee Action Collective. a planned protest was launched.

“We are afraid that Djokovic will return to the world’s best tennis circuit, and that these men will still be arrested, many of them arrested by the Australian Government in its ninth year.”

Internal Affairs did not immediately respond to protesters’ demands.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the player had gluten-free food, exercise tools and a SIM card to keep in touch with the outside world.

“The tone is positive on the Australian side. The Serbian government is ready to provide all the necessary guarantees for Novak to join Australia, including the Serbian president,” Brnabic said.