Djokovic makes Federal Court appeal against Australia visa cancellation

Lawyers representing tennis player Novak Djokovic are to appeal to an Australian courts against the revocation of the Serb's visa to enter the country with a medical exemption that allowed him to participate in the Australian Open without vaccination, the local public broadcaster ABC reported.

"The appeal against the detention of tennis star Novak Djokovic and the cancellation of his visa was filed in the Federal Court," the ABC detailed, referring to the 34-year-old Serb, who is awaiting deportation to his country.

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In a brief hearing, the lawyers asked that Djokovic be transferred to a hotel with a tennis court and that the lawsuit be resolved before the start of the Australian Open, to be held between January 17 and 30 in the city of Melbourne, added the same source.

The Serb was transferred this morning to the Park Hotel in the city of Melbourne, which also houses a group of asylum seekers who have been detained by immigration authorities, after he was interviewed for more than eight hours by border authorities for failing to meet the requirements imposed by covid-19.

The Australian Border Force confirmed in a statement the revocation of the visa of Djokovic, known for opposing mandatory covid-19 immunization, arguing that "non-citizens who do not have a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia."

"There are no special cases. The rules are the rules," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said today, explaining at a press conference in Canberra that travelers entering Australia are required to have the full covid-19 vaccination regimen or a medical exemption.

The vaccine is mandatory for entry into Australia, but there are temporary exemptions for people who have a "serious medical condition," who cannot be vaccinated because they have contracted covid-19 in the previous six months or have had an adverse reaction to the drug, among other reasons.