MADRID, 15 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic will receive a visa to compete in January at the Australian Open, the first ‘Grand Slam’ of the season, after the government decided to lift its ban on entering the country for three years, reported Tuesday the Guardian Australia newspaper.
The Balkan, who has won the ‘big’ held in Melbourne nine times, was deported earlier this year after arriving in the country without being vaccinated against the coronavirus, a requirement required at the time by the oceanic authorities.
After that, he was sentenced to three years without being able to enter the country. Australia has since lifted the requirement to be vaccinated to enter the country and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles will grant Djokovic a visa. “We are waiting. That’s all I can say for now,” Djokovic said from Turin, where he is contesting the ATP Finals.
Australian Open director Craig Tiley was optimistic that Djokovic could participate in the first ‘Grand Slam’ of 2023. “There is a normal visa application process that everyone is going through at the moment,” Tiley said. .
In January of this year, the Australian authorities prevented the tennis player from entering the country for not complying with the entry requirements in relation to its strict measures against the coronavirus, which included being vaccinated.
Djokovic was held in a Melbourne hotel and harbored hopes of defending his title after a judge revoked the cancellation of his visa in the first instance. However, he was deported when the Australian Federal Court rejected the final appeal.
