The Australian Border Force is investigating if tennis champion Novak Djokovic had lied on his entry form about not traveling in the two weeks prior to coming to Australia, media reported on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2022) The Australian Border Force is investigating if tennis champion Novak Djokovic had lied on his entry form about not traveling in the two weeks prior to coming to Australia, media reported on Tuesday.
Australian media said that the country's authorities suspect Djokovic of traveling from Serbia to Spain in the 14 days before he flew to Australia last week. The suspicion was sparked by a December 25 photo posted on social media post by Serbian handball player Petar Djordjic where he poses standing next to Djokovic in Belgrade. A few days later, on December 31, the Soto Tennis academy in Spain posted a video showing the athlete playing tennis.
Unvaccinated Djokovic arrived in Australia to participate in the Australian Open but was detained and put to a migration isolation ward after the Australian authorities canceled his visa, citing violations of the vaccination rules. Djokovic was accused of skirting COVID-19 rules that require all tennis players to present proof of vaccination or a medical exemption. The player challenged the decision of the border authorities. Djokovic's lawyers argued that he had been granted an exemption after recovering from the disease in December.
On Monday, a Federal district court in Melbourne overturned the Australian government's decision to revoke Djokovic's Australian visa. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, however, is still considering using his personal power to cancel the athlete's visa, his office said later that day.
On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke on the phone with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic to discuss Djokovic's case. As quoted by Australian media, Morrison assured Brnabic that travel restrictions were not discriminatory and were aimed solely at protecting the country's population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brnabic, in turn, stressed the importance of training conditions for the tennis player before the Australian Open scheduled for January 17 in Melbourne.
