Immigration Minister Alex Hawke cancels Novak Djokovic's visa ahead of Australian Open

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30. Djokovic's appeal of canceled visa moves to higher court

Source: Associated Press

Djokovic’s appeal of canceled visa moves to higher court

By JOHN PYE and ROD McGUIRK
January 14, 2022

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic’s effort to play in the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated for COVID-19 moved to a higher court Saturday as the No. 1-ranked tennis player appealed the second cancellation of his visa.

Djokovic was not seen on the online feed available to the public for the 15-minute procedural hearing, which began just two days before he is scheduled to play his first match of 2022 at Melbourne Park.

Judge David O’Callaghan ruled that lawyers representing Djokovic and the government would need to submit written arguments later Saturday and scheduled a further hearing for Sunday morning.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke blocked the 34-year-old Serb’s visa, which was originally revoked when he landed at a Melbourne airport last week. But it was restored Monday by a judge on procedural grounds, because Djokovic was not allowed to have a lawyer with him at the airport.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/novak-djokovic-australia-open-live-updates-075f3818cb1d14bd14854faf5a3e189d