Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic was forced to leave Australia on Sunday night around 11:00 p.m. local time after a court ruling upheld the immigration minister's decision to cancel Djokovic's visa, The Washington Post reported.
Djokovic traveled to Australia on Jan. 5 but was denied entry because he has not been vaccinated against COVID-19. After Djokovic, who is the No. 1 ranked men's tennis player in the world, won an initial appeal Monday, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke invoked his ministerial discretion to cancel Djokovic's visa. According to NPR and the Post, Hawke said the unvaccinated athlete's presence in the country would stoke "anti-vaccination sentiment" and lead to "civil unrest."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'If you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The Nare Hotel: a charming hideaway on the Cornish coastThe Week Recommends Upgrade your classic seaside holiday at this five-star country house hotel
-
Today's political cartoons - March 6, 2025Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - weird science, Hoover's heels, and more
-
Trump touts early wins in partisan speech to CongressSpeed Read The president said he is 'just getting started' with his sweeping changes to immigration, the economy and foreign policy
-
Trudeau blasts Trump's 'very dumb' trade warSpeed Read Retaliatory measures have been announced by America's largest trading partners following Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China
-
Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after public spatSpeed Read Trump and J.D. Vance berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy for what they saw as insufficient gratitude
-
Trump's Mexico and Canada tariffs begin, roiling marketsSpeed Read Stocks plunged after Trump affirmed that the tariffs would take effect, sparking a likely trade war
-
Judge tells White House to stop ordering mass firingsspeed read The ruling is a complication in the Trump administration's plans to slash the federal workforce
-
Trump vows 25% tariffs on EU at Cabinet meetingSpeed Read The tariff threats serve to enhance a growing suspicion that the president views Europe as an adversary, not an ally
-
Trump proposes 'gold card' visas for rich immigrantsspeed read The president claimed the US will begin selling $5 million visas offering permanent residency
-
House passes framework for big tax and spending cutsSpeed Read Democrats opposed the GOP's plan for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts, citing the impacts it will have on social programs
