Novak Djokovic has temporarily been freed from the immigration detention at Park Hotel in Melbourne after the judge ordered him to be taken to a confidential location for the duration of his hearing on Monday (January 10).
He will return to the detention hotel once the hearing is complete. The live stream has collapsed so many times because of tens of thousands of people trying to watch the proceedings that the judge had to ask for him to freed for the hearing.
Earlier, an Australian judge demanded to know what more Novak Djokovic could have done to meet the country's strict pandemic entry requirements, offering a glimmer of hope to the detained tennis superstar as he fights deportation.
The 34-year-old World no.1 arrived in Melbourne last week ahead of the Australian Open, hoping to win a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title. But guards at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport decided the unvaccinated star had failed to present a solid medical reason for not being jabbed.
Djokovic's visa was revoked and he was moved to a notorious immigration detention facility pending deportation.
In an emergency online court hearing Monday, federal Judge Anthony Kelly listened to extended legal wrangling about the process, before jumping to the 34-year-old's defence.
Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly noted that Djokovic had provided officials at Melbourne's airport with a medical exemption given him by Tennis Australia, which is organizing the tournament that starts on Jan. 17, and two medical panels.
“The point I'm somewhat agitated about is what more could this man have done?” Kelly asked Djokovic's lawyer, Nick Wood.
Wood agreed with the judge that Djokovic could not have done more.
Djokovic has been under guard in hotel quarantine in Melbourne since Thursday, when his visa was canceled.
But the judge ordered that the world No. 1-ranked tennis player be released from hotel quarantine during his court hearing. It was not clear where Djokovic relocated to during his hearing. He did not appear on screen in the first hours of the virtual hearing.
Also, at a rally in Belgrade, Djokovic's mother Dijana claimed her son was staying "in not human conditions".
"They detained him and even don't give him breakfast, he has only lunch and dinner," she said, quoted by local media.
"He does not have a normal window, he stares at a wall," she added.
Another tennis player -- Czech doubles specialist Renata Voracova -- has also had her visa cancelled after obtaining a medical exemption.
She flew out of Australia on Saturday after being held in the same Melbourne centre as Djokovic.
