The 11-day saga between Novak Djokovic and the Australian Open has seemingly come to an end at last after the Serbian tennis player lost his legal battle against deportation. A three-judge panel on Sunday (January 16), with less than 24 hours remaining for the opening round of the Australian Open, dismissed Djokovic's case.
As a result, the defending champion now will not be able to play in the Australian Open. Djokovic now further faces deportation. In his first reaction after the judgment, the 34-year-old has said that he will leave the country, thanking his friends, supporters and family.
'Respect the Court's ruling'
"I respect the Court's ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country," Djokovic said in a statement.
"I will now be taking some time to rest and to recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this," the 20-time major champion said.
"I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love.
"I would like to wish the players, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and fans all the best for the tournament.
"Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, team, supporters, fans and my fellow Serbians for your continued support. You have all been a great source of strength to me,” the defending Australian Open champion concluded.
No vaccination
The nine-time Australian Open champion was destined to secure his 10th title this year, but his refusal to take the Covid-19 jab has now forced the Serbian to miss out on the first major of the year.
Djokovic was contracted with the Covid-19 virus back in December 2021 but he still decided to refuse to take the vaccine. Tennis Australia did give him a special exemption to compete in this year's event but the health authorities rejected the call and requested to cancel Djokovic's visa.
The second hearing that took place on January 16 (Sunday), saw the 20-time major champion’s run end on a sorrow note even before his journey could begin.
The absence of World No.1 does mean that neither Djokovic nor Roger Federer will compete in the Australian event, leaving the doors open for Rafael Nadal to clinch his second Australian Open title, first in 13 years and more importantly his 21st career major.
