The legal team of the world's top tennis player has scored a major victory, Novak Djokovic, who finally got back his visa to enter the Australia and will participate in the first Open of the season.
The judge ruled that the decision of the authorities to cancel the Serbian champion's visa was unfounded, as the player presented a doctor's opinion, which stated that his exemption from vaccination for medical reasons was justified in order to take part in the tournament.
The grounds of the decision
As the Guardian, the reasoning of the decision was based on the fact that the government acknowledged that did not give the Djokovic some time after she informed him of her intention to cancel his visa. However, the Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, he can now intervene personally and decide to cancel his visa anyway, for new reasons. Something the government pointed out to the court.
On many occasions, Djokovic has stated his opposition to compulsory vaccination, saying that vaccination is a private and personal decision. However, until last week he had not disclosed whether he had been vaccinated. In a court filing on Saturday, Djokovic's lawyers said the tennis star tested positive for coronavirus in mid-December and that the Australian government had made a mistake in cancelling his visa because of the vaccine requirement.
If that happens, it could end up back in court, because Djokovic would face a three-year ban from Australia if the minister decide to cancel the visa.
The judge's response to what the Djokovic side said
Earlier, Judge Anthony Kelly had ruled in favour of Djokovic's request. In particular, after listening to what the top tennis player's legal representative had to say, who outlined the steps the Serb and his team followed in order to request the medical exemption to compete in the Australian Open, the judge said «what else could this man do to get into Australia?», with Nick Wood saying «I agree with you your honour».
