Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic He left Australia on a flight to Dubai, local media report, after a court on Sunday authorized the cancellation of his visa and his deportation.
The flight, operated by Emirates airlines, departed from Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport around 10:50 p.m. local time (11:50 GMT).
The Balkan athlete arrived at the terminal wearing dark clothes and a face mask accompanied by his technical team and received a small applause and cheers from some of the travelers, according to a video from Channel 10.
Djokovic He was escorted to the airfield by members of the Australian police while waiting for boarding, according to photographs published by The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
The tennis player, who is not vaccinated against covid-19 and therefore violates the entry laws implemented by the southern country against the pandemic, will not be able to defend his crown at the Australian Open, which begins on Monday.
The plenary session of the Federal Court of Australia decided unanimously this Sunday, after a virtual hearing, that the cancellation of the tennis player’s visa by the Minister of Immigration, alex hawke, has a legal basis, and therefore Djokovic he was to be deported.
Djokovic He traveled to Melbourne on January 5 with a medical exemption for not being vaccinated and having overcome covid-19 in December, although upon arrival the Immigration authorities canceled his visa and detained him until his release last Monday by court order. considering that he was not treated with “equity”.
The Australian minister again canceled the Balkan’s entry permit on Friday, considering that his presence posed a risk to order and could fuel anti-vaccine sentiment.
The athlete was arrested on Saturday in a hotel for the second time prior to the hearing held today where the judges dismissed the appeal of Djokovic against the government decision.