Australian immigration minister says Djokovic visa was cancelled because he was a health risk and could foster anti-vaccine sentiment
Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said Novak Djokovic posed a "health risk" to the country.
After canceling his visa, Hawke said the tennis star could have riled up anti-vaccine sentiment.
Hawke added that Djokovic's camp sent several medical studies to claim a medical exemption.
Australia's immigration minister Alex Hawke said in his immigration decision on Friday that he canceled Novak Djokovic's visa because the tennis star posed a health risk and could drum up anti-vax groups in the country, according to court documents.
Djokovic had his visa canceled by the Australian immigration authorities again on Friday, raising questions over whether he'll be able to play in the Australian Open, which starts on Monday, January 17.
Hawke issued a statement Friday announcing his decision.
"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," Hawke's statement said.
In a court filing, Hawke elaborated on the reasons why the visa was canceled again – despite Djokovic's best efforts to claim medical exemptions.
"Mr. Djokovic provided me with a substantial volume of journal articles, medical studies, and medical evidence," Hawke said.
He added that Djokovic asserted that he "poses a negligible threat of infecting others," having contracted COVID-19 and claiming that he may experience more serious vaccine side-effects because of his recent bout with the sickness.
Hawke wrote that he had, "Not sought nor read the actual medical material that Mr. Djokovic provided to me."
"I consider that Mr. Djokovic's presence may pose a health risk to the Australian community, in that his presence may foster anti-vaccination sentiment," Hawke wrote.
Hawke did not immediately say whether Djokovic would be deported or how long potentially the player would be barred from entering the country.
The announcement and filing followed an investigation from Hawke that found Djokovic gave false information to border officials when he tried to enter Australia.
Djokovic's visa was revoked for the first time when he arrived in Australia on January 6. Australian border officials found that he "failed to provide appropriate evidence" to prove he had received a vaccine exemption. Hawke, in the filing, said that Djokovic had shown "an apparent disregard to isolate" after testing positive for COVID-19 around mid-December.
Djokovic is not vaccinated for COVID-19.
On Monday, a local court overturned the initial cancelation of Djokovic's visa, a decision that was effectively reversed on Friday.
The player's legal team intends to appeal the decision, in hopes that he can defend his title in the tournament, which begins on Monday. At the time of publishing, Djokovic is still listed in the tournament's fixtures.
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