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With less than 24 hours remaining for the Australian Open to start, defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic's appeal has been upheld by the Australian court as the player loses the legal battle to be part of the first major of the year.
Djokovic, detained after getting his visa canceled by the Australian authorities for the second time took to the court to enter the Australian Open. However, the latest developments see the appeal upheld and now it means that Djokovic will not be able to defend his crown in the 2022 edition.
The legal matter
A three-judge panel dismissed Djokovic's appeal to represent at this year's Australian Open as he is considered a potential threat to public health. The Serb arrived in Melbourne last Wednesday (January 5) and was unvaccinated, but was given special exemption by the Australian tennis authority to compete. But upon his arrival, the airport and public health authority of Australia denied him a direct entry and Djokovic faced deportation.
His visa was canceled initially, but after taking to the Court he somehow managed to escape and earn a ticket to the tournament. The situation was then widely criticised in media by several other sports athletes as Djokovic was contracted with Covid-19 in December and shouldn't have been allowed to participate. The brawl saw Australia's Prime Minister also jump into the matter while former Australia spinner Shane Warne suggested, Djokovic shouldn't have been granted permission to participate.
A big blow
Sunday's twist will come as a major blow to Djokovic as he was determined to win his 10th title. The 20-time major champion will now have to sit out with less than 24 hours remaining for the start of the 2022 edition. The No.1 seed is also likely to face a three-year ban from traveling to Australia and causing a threat to public health.
The Djokovic saga was unsurprisingly not limited to the Serbian tennis player and the event only as previously the official draw of the event was delayed as it was not clear whether Djokovic will be able to take part in the event or not.
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal had earlier spoken on the matter and said that he was “tired” of the issue.
“Australian Open is much more important than any player. If he's playing finally, OK. If he's not playing, Australian Open will be great, with or without him. That's my point of view," Nadal told the reporters at the Melbourne Park on Saturday (January 15).
“Honestly, I'm little bit tired of the situation because I just believe that it's important to talk about our sport, about tennis," added the Spaniard.
