No. 1 Tennis Player Novak Djokovic Wins Appeal Against Deportation from Australia Over Vaccine Mandate

Reigning Australian Open champion and top-ranked worldwide tennis player Novak Djokovic has secured the right to stay in Australia after being incarcerated over his vaccination status, with a Melbourne judge ruling that he must be released from immigration detention on Monday morning.

The ruling potentially opens up a possibility for Djokovic to compete in the Australian Open. The Australian government immediately detained Djokovic upon his arrival to the country, after the Victoria state government had promised a medical exemption to the nation’s quasi-fascist “health pass” coronavirus vaccine mandate system.

In his ruling overturning Djokovic’s imminent deportation, Judge Anthony Kelly explained that the Australian government had legally cancelled Djokovic’s visa before the Serbian national had the chance to respond to the notice of deporation. This defies Australian law.

“If the applicant had had until 8:30 a.m., he could have consulted others and made submissions to the delegate about why his visa should not be canceled,” Judge Kelly said of the government’s misconduct. The Australian government has been accused of political partisanship in moving to deport Djokovic, with citizens of the unfree country accusing their government of a double standard for issuing the tennis star an exemption from the rules to begin with.