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Tennis star Novak Djokovic wins appeal against Australian visa cancellation
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Tennis star Novak Djokovic wins appeal against Australian visa cancellation

Novak Djokovic won his appeal to stay in Australia on Monday after the country’s authorities barred entry to the tennis star over his Covid-19 vaccination status.

International

Novak Djokovic won his appeal to stay in Australia on Monday after the country’s authorities barred entry to the tennis star over his Covid-19 vaccination status.

At a virtual hearing at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia in Melbourne on Monday, Judge Anthony Kelly said Djokovic must be released from immigration detention within 30 minutes of the order being made.

The battle waged by the men’s world No. 1 became a flashpoint in the broader struggle over vaccinations and government restrictions to combat the coronavirus. It came after fury in Australia, which is battling a new wave of infections driven by the omicron variant, over Djokovic’s claim of a vaccine exemption allowing him to compete in this month’s Australian Open tournament.

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The court order centered largely on how the government handled the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa. The judge noted that the decision was made by a delegate for the home affairs minister at 7:42 a.m. on Thursday, even though Djokovic had been told he would have more time to respond to the notification that his visa was at risk of being canceled.

"If the applicant had had until 8:30 a.m., he could have consulted others and made submissions to the delegate about why his visa should not be canceled," Kelly said in reading out an agreement between the government and Djokovic’s lawyers.

An earlier court order had allowed Djokovic to leave the Park Hotel where he was being detained so he could attend the virtual hearing with his legal team.