Djokovic forced to leave Australia after court upholds visa cancellation


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."
For many in Australia and around the world frustrated with travel restrictions and vaccine mandates, Djokovic's case became a rallying point. Scottish tennis player Andy Murray and Brexit mastermind Nigel Farage traded barbs about it on Twitter on Jan. 9 and 10.
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.
Even Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić voiced his support for Djokovic, writing on social media that "the whole of Serbia is with him."
Djokovic, who was scheduled to play his first match of the Australian Open on Monday, said he was "extremely disappointed." The Post explains that Djokovic had the option to appeal his case to Australia's High Court, but "the timing of Sunday's decision — roughly 24 hours before Djokovic was due to take to the tennis court — made another challenge unfeasible."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Uruguay shaken by 'phantom cow' scam
Under the Radar Cattle seen as a safe investment in beef-mad nation – but the cows, and people's life savings, are nowhere to be found
-
Critics' choice: Steak houses that break from tradition
Feature Eight hours of slow-roasting prime rib, a 41-ounce steak, and a former Catholic school chapel turned steakhouse
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges
-
Germany lifts Kyiv missile limits as Trump, Putin spar
speed read Russia's biggest drone and missile attacks of the war prompted Trump to post that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!'
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
Trump twists House GOP arms on megabill
speed read The bill will provide a $350 billion boost to military and anti-immigration spending and 'cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs'