Novak Djokovic WINS court appeal: Free to play in Australian Open in government humiliation

Novak Djokovic has successfully challenged the Australian Government’s decision to cancel his visa and will play in the Australian Open.

The 34-year-old world tennis No.1 will be free to leave the Park Hotel in Carlton – where he’s spent the last four nights alongside refugees and detainees – by 5.46pm.

Judge Anthony Kelly’s decision is a huge blow to the government, who hoped he’d be deported this afternoon after claiming he relied on out-of-date ATAGI advice to enter the country. 

The court determined Djokovic must be released from detention within the next 30 minutes.

The government has also been ordered to cover all costs related to the appeal. 

Djokovic supporters had high hopes for the case after Judge Kelly said he was ‘agitated’ learning all the steps the world No.1 took to assure he’d be welcome in Australia and free to play his favourite Grand Slam. 

‘A professor and qualified physician provided the applicant a medical exemption, the basis of which was given by an independent expert panel established by the state government… that document was in the hands of the delegate,’ Judge Kelly said.

‘The point I’m somewhat agitated about is, what more could this man have done?’  

While Djokovic is now free to begin training again and remain in Australia, the debacle has prompted fierce backlash online, with many saying the incompetence of the Australian government has been thrust into the spotlight.

Ironically, Djokovic was granted a 403 visa which provides ‘a temporary visa to work in specific circumstances that improve Australia’s international relations’. 

The monumental bungle and subsequent handling of his individual case has done the very opposite.

Fellow tennis star Andy Murray says the uncertainty over Djokovic’s situation is ‘really bad’ for tennis and claims the scenario has ‘shocked’ the athletes.

Speaking ahead of the Australian Open, Murray told reporters in Melbourne: ‘I think everyone is shocked by it to be honest. I’m going to say two things on it just now.

‘The first thing is that I hope that Novak is OK. I know him well, and I’ve always had a good relationship with him and I hope that he’s OK.

‘It’s really not good for tennis at all, and I don’t think it’s good for anyone involved.’

There has been outrage that Djokovic – one of the world’s greatest sportsmen – has been detained in a $109-a-night hotel alongside refugees and detainees.

Protesters gathered outside for days on end arguing for the freedom of the detainees inside.

‘9 years. Human zoo,’ one of the residents wrote on a handwritten note stuck to the window of his room. 

Djokovic’s lawyer Nick Wood SC said the star went beyond what was required of him by providing evidence of his medical contraindication when he was detained at the airport. 

He said government entry requirements specify a traveller must declare they can prove their exemption, but does not state they will have to do so. 

‘He was not required to provide evidence, even though as a matter of fact, he did,’ Mr Wood said.  

Mr Wood also noted Djokovic felt pressured when giving evidence to border force officials after touching town from 25 hours of long-haul travel.

He claimed an officer expressed that his ‘shift was ending soon’ and questioned whether this impacted the decision to renege on an agreement to give Djokovic several hours rest and time to consult his legal team.

Djokovic had asked for any further questioning to be delayed until 8.30am to give him time to consult with his team and it’s understood this was initially agreed to.

Later, he was told it was in his interests to proceed immediately, and his visa was cancelled about 7.40am.

The court heard Djokovic told border officers: ‘If you let me talk to people, although you’ve taken my phone from me, I will try and get you what you want’.

Mr Wood told the court it was ‘spurious rationale’ to tell Djokovic it was in his interests to allow the visa cancellation without consulting his team.

‘There was no reason, no intelligible reason, not to allow him that more time,’ he said.  

Lawyers for the Department of Home Affairs indicated in submissions made about 10.30pm on Sunday night they had the ability to contest a decision in Djokovic’s favour.

In fact, they say they could cancel his visa all over again, leaving him in perpetual limbo just a week before the Open begins.

Their submission states Djokovic is of a ‘greater health risk’ of spreading the virus than an vaccinated person, and that infecting others would ‘burden the health system’.

But the tennis ace’s lawyers said he posed a minuscule risk to the health of Australian citizens given his reduced risk of reinfection so soon after recovering from the virus.

They also noted NSW and Victoria were already recording tens of thousands of new cases each day by the time the decision to cancel his visa was made. 

Djokovic’s high powered legal team argued border officers acted unjustly and made critical jurisdictional errors in cancelling his temporary worker visa in the early hours of Thursday.

They claim the Australian Travel Declaration assessment, which arrivals on most visas must complete before boarding, said he had met quarantine-free arrival requirements. 

Results of the assessment are processed by a computer in just 60 seconds, with the government saying the document isn’t official proof someone can enter the country and exists purely to give travellers an idea of whether they’re eligible to enter or not.

His team also argues he was not given time to rest, having travelled for 25 hours, or speak to a lawyer during hours of questioning at Melbourne Airport, with the star left ‘confused’.

ATAGI website guidelines which Djokovic and his team based their understanding of his ‘medical exemption’ on, state ‘PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection,’ is a valid reason for a temporary medical exemption.

‘Vaccination can be deferred until 6 months after the infection,’ the guidelines state.

In these circumstances, a person would be considered exempt from getting the jab if they can prove they’ve been diagnosed with Covid in the last six months.

The statement echoes what NSW’s chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant advised on Friday, which is that a person could wait up to six weeks after their symptoms finished to get jabbed.