Djokovic’s visa status leads to uncertainity over Australian Open draw

By
Aditya Kar
A sports lover, a shitposter and everything else in between.
2 Min Read

The Australian Open draw was delayed at least 75 minutes Thursday amid uncertainty over top-ranked Novak Djokovic’s visa status.

The draw, to determine the men’s and women’s singles brackets at the year’s first tennis major, was scheduled to be held at 3 p.m. local time in Melbourne, but a tournament official told waiting media that the ceremony had been postponed until further notice and declined further comment.

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It was later rescheduled to 4:15 p.m. local time.

The Australian Open begins Monday. Djokovic travelled to Australia seeking to win a 21st Grand Slam titles to break the men’s record of 20 he shared with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

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The Australian immigration minister was still considering whether to deport the nine-time and defending Australian Open champion, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, on public interest grounds.

Djokovic remained in limbo. The 34-year-old Serb had his visa canceled on arrival in Melbourne last week when his vaccination exemption was questioned, but he won a legal battle on procedural grounds that allowed him to stay in the country.

Novak Djokovic now knows he’ll face fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the first-round of his Australian Open title defense, if he’s allowed to. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke can overrule the judge’s decision to reinstate the visa.

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A sports lover, a shitposter and everything else in between.