Australian judge Reuters has expressed concern over talks at Djokovic airport

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic’s ruling against the Australian government’s decision to revoke his star-studded visa Novak Djokovic’s case has raised concerns over how border officials were treated by Serb officials on Monday.

Judge Anthony Kelly said Djokovic had received the requested medical exemption before traveling to Australia and presented evidence of this when he arrived at Melbourne airport on Wednesday evening.

“The only thing I’m worried about is what else could this man do?” Kelly said Djokovic’s lawyers explained their case when the federal government challenged the player’s decision to revoke his airport visa.

Djokovic, who has been in an immigration detention hotel since his visa was revoked, says a recent infection with COVID-19 qualified all Australian visitors for the medical exemption required for a double vaccination.

The Australian government, however, said that non-citizens had no right to enter Australia and stressed that even if the Serb won the lawsuit, he retained the right to be re-arrested and removed from the country.

The government’s decision to cancel Djokovic’s visa could frustrate his chances of winning the 21st Grand Slam record at the Australian Open, which starts on January 17 in Melbourne.

Exchanges between Kelly and Djokovic’s lawyers, Nicholas Wooden, also revealed that officials turned off their phones at around 7.42am when they decided to cancel their visa. Officials have refused to agree to a meeting until 8:30 a.m. to speak to the organizer of the Tennis Australia tournament, Wood said, and have moved away from waiting to speak to lawyers.

Wood said Djokovic had clearly stated that he had a medical contraindication that exempted him from the requirement of a double vaccine and, although not required, provided evidence to support this claim before and on his flight to Australia.

The technical problems that delayed the start of the virtual hearing at the Federal Circuit and the Family Court also occasionally affected the live broadcast of the session for the public.

Demonstrators, SUPPORTERS

Instead of training for the Australian Open, Djokovic has been confined to a hotel used for asylum seekers since Thursday.

A few followers, one carrying the Serbian flag, gathered outside the hotel on Monday morning, along with several other activists protesting against the arrest of refugees for months.

Crowds of Djokovic fans gathered outside the hotel for the weekend, dancing and cheering with traditional music.

The French newspaper L’Equipe published a photo taken when Djokovic was named Champion of Champions in the newspaper on December 16 and said that he tested positive for coronavirus in a court case. Shortly after that test in Serbian missions.

It was not clear whether Djokovic was aware of his positive test at the time of the events in the pictures.

Djokovic, 34, has won the Australian Open nine times and the drama of his resignation has caused a stir in sports circles, sparked tensions between Serbia and Australia and has become a hotbed for opponents of vaccine orders around the world.

‘NO RESPECT’

Djokovic’s father led a small protest in front of the Serbian parliament building in Belgrade on Sunday.

“Are we animals? What are we? We are humans. This is happening because we are a small part of the world, but we are proud. They have no respect.”

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said in his first media interview since the riot began that his organization had been in talks for months with federal and state players to ensure the safe movement of players.

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.