Novak Djokovic has been denied entry into Australia over a visa mix-up. The news comes after the world No.1 was granted a controversial medical exemption from the Covid-19 vaccination to play in this month’s Australian Open.
On Tuesday (January 5), the Serb had announced that he received an exemption to play in the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne and said he was heading to Australia.
However, on reaching Melbourne, Victoria's acting sports minister, Jaala Pulford said that her state had rejected a request for help and visa approvals were a matter for the federal government.
"The federal government has asked if we will support Novak Djokovic's visa application to enter Australia," Pulford wrote on Twitter.
"We will not be providing Novak Djokovic with individual visa application support to participate in the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam," she added.
Earlier in the day, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that Djokovic will have to prove that he has a genuine medical exemption from Covid-19 vaccination when he lands in Australia or he will be 'on the next plane home'.
As it stands, Djokovic, who hasn’t publicly announced his vaccination status, is unable to pass through passport control after a visa mix-up relating to those with medical exemptions with reports suggesting his team submitted the wrong paperwork.
Reports also suggest a member of his support team made a mistake in requesting a sub-class of visa that does not apply to those who have received medical exemptions from Covid-19 vaccine.
His participation at the 2022 Australian Open has been cast in doubt due to the country’s strict vaccination laws.
