Tennis

Timeline: The Djokovic saga (AXIOS Sports) The Australian Open begins Monday (Sunday in the U.S.), and No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic's status is still up in the air.
Where it stands: Djokovic faces deportation after his visa was revoked for a second time by the Australian government on Friday. A lawyer for Djokovic has asked a court for an injunction preventing his removal from Australia.
How we got here: The past 10 days should have been about the World No. 1's quest for a record-breaking 21st major victory. Instead, they've snowballed into one of the biggest off-court tennis sagas ever.
Jan. 4: Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, announces he's heading to Australia with a medical exemption. Days later, we learn he got the exemption because he tested positive for COVID in December.
Jan. 5: Upon his arrival in Melbourne, he's held in the airport — in a room guarded by police, according to his father — due to a mistake with his visa application.
Jan. 6: After eight hours of airport detention, Djokovic's visa is canceled and he's denied entry to the country for failing to meet the exemption requirements.
Jan. 9: While he is cooped up in an immigration detention hotel — and inadvertently drawing widespread attention to refugees — Djokovic's parents join a rally in Belgrade, Serbia, demanding his release.
Jan. 10: Djokovic's visa is reinstated on appeal after arguing that his positive test in December superseded the country's vaccination requirement. Hours later, he's out on the courts practicing.
Jan. 12: In a statement, Djokovic blames his agent for "tick[ing] the incorrect box" on his travel declaration, which falsely claimed he didn't visit any countries in the prior two weeks.
Jan. 12: In the same statement, he admits to having attended an in-person interview after his positive test in December. He calls the breach of protocols "an error of judgement," while the Serbian Prime Minister calls it "a clear violation."
Jan. 13: The tournament draw is revealed, and it features Djokovic as the No. 1 seed, even as immigration officials continue to investigate him.
The bottom line: 255 men and women are currently looking at the draw and preparing for the year's first major tournament, but the 256th is all anyone can seem to talk about.

Novak Djokovic in final bid to save Australian Open chances after visa cancelled again (SportsPro Insider) Novak Djokovic has had his visa cancelled for a second time but the world number one men’s tennis player could still take part in the Australian Open.

The Serb had been waiting since a judge overturned the original decision on 10th January to find out whether Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke would use his powers to reimpose the penalty.

Just before 6pm local time on 14th January, Hawke released a statement saying he had made the judgement to send Djokovic home ‘on health and good order grounds’.

    Podcast | Novak Djokovic, Covid vaccines and the business of the Australian Open

But the legal process is far from at an end and both parties were back in front of judge Anthony Kelly, who made the original visa cancellation reversal, after Hawke’s executive decision.

Djokovic’s legal team confirmed they will seek the same outcome this time at a virtual hearing at the Federal Court of Australia on 16th January, the day before his first-round match against fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

The world number one was allowed to stay at his rented accommodation in the immediate aftermath of the decision but will be detained again at 8am on 15th January prior to a meeting with immigration officials.

He will remain in detention while he meets with his legal team to prepare a case and then be held overnight, potentially back at the Park Hotel where he spent four nights last week.

Even if he wins, therefore, there must be major question marks over whether he will be in the right physical and mental state to compete at a Grand Slam regardless of his famous powers of resilience.

The current Australian government is firmly committed to protecting its borders, particularly in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hawke’s legal representative, meanwhile, said the minister would not seek to deport Djokovic until proceedings were at an end, raising the possibility he could yet be sent home mid-tournament.

In his statement, Hawke said: ‘Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.

‘This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10th January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds.

‘In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Mr Djokovic.’

The decision means Djokovic also faces a three-year ban from the country, which could mean he never plays at the Australian Open again, although that can be waived.

The situation has dominated global news since Djokovic was detained at Melbourne airport on 6th January after border officials concluded he did not have the right paperwork to enter the country.

Novak Djokovic faces deportation again after Australian government revokes his visa a second time (USA TODAY) MELBOURNE, Australia — Tennis star Novak Djokovic faces deportation again after the Australian government revoked his visa for a second time.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said Friday he used his ministerial discretion to revoke the 34-year-old Serb’s visa on public interest grounds three days before the Australian Open is to begin. 

Djokovic’s lawyers are expected to appeal the cancelation in the Federal Circuit and Family Court as they successfully did after the first cancellation.

Hawke said he canceled the visa on “health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.”

“The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hawke said in a statement, referring to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

It is the second time Djokovic’s visa has been canceled since he arrived in Melbourne last week to defend his Australian Open title.

Australia Cancels Novak Djokovic’s Visa Again (Forbes SportsMoney) Topline

Novak Djokovic’s Australian visa was canceled for a second time Friday by the country’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, a decision that comes days after a federal court overturned the Australian Border Force’s initial decision to cancel the unvaccinated tennis star’s visa.
Key Facts

Announcing the cancelation, Hawke said the decision was based on health and good order grounds and “in the public interest to do so.”

Hawke said he carefully considered information provided by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border Force and Djokovic, before making the decision.

Hawked added that the Morrison Government is “firmly committed” to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly during the pandemic.

While Djokovic will be able to challenge this decision in court, such a case would be more difficult to win as the powers held by the immigration minister regarding visa cancelations are very broad.

Under section 133C(3) of the country’s Migration Act, a minister may cancel an individual’s visa if the holder poses a risk to “the health, safety or good order” of Australians among other things.

Australian Open lands on BeIN Sports in APAC region (SportsPro Insider) Tennis Australia has signed an expansive broadcast partnership with Qatar-based network BeIN Sports covering ten territories in Southeast Asia.

BeIN already holds a long-term rights deal with Tennis Australia covering the Middle East and Africa (MENA) region, but has now signed a five-year contract for coverage of the Australian Open in ten Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets. The territories covered in the agreement include Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

For the first time in Asia, all matches from the Grand Slam tennis tournament’s 16 courts will stream live on the broadcaster’s BeIN Sports Connect digital platform. The network has also committed to broadcasting more than 14 hours of live content from Tennis Australia tournaments on its linear channels.

    Australian Open offers ‘art ball’ NFTs infused with real-time match data

The deal covers the Australian Open’s qualifying tournament, junior championships, wheelchair championships and legends championships. Coverage of the tennis major’s Australian and Asia-Pacific wildcard playoffs, as well as the ATP Tour 250 Adelaide International tournament, are also included in the contract.

“As the Grand Slam of Asia-Pacific, we are delighted to extend our agreement with BeIN Sports to cover Southeast Asia, after years of successful collaboration with them in the Middle East and Northern Africa,” said Craig Tiley, tournament director of the Australian Open.

“Our Asian fans treat the Australian Open as their ‘home’ Slam and so it’s fantastic that with BeIN Sports’ innovation and commitment they will now be able to enjoy every main draw match from the AO live across every court here at Melbourne Park.”

The deal with BeIN comes after Tennis Australia and SuperSport confirmed a five-year extension to their long-term Australian Open broadcast deal covering sub-Saharan Africa. The Grand Slam tournament and the Australian tennis body’s buildup events will continue to be aired by the pay-TV broadcaster in 54 markets across the region, including South Africa, until 2026.