Australian Government loses bid to delay Djokovic appeal

Home
Affairs’ lawyers
applied
to
the
Federation
Circuit
Court
to
re-schedule
the
case
by
two
days
from
Monday
to
Wednesday
but
the
application
was
dismissed
by
Judge
Anthony
Kelly.

Delaying
the
appeal
until
Wednesday
would
have
been
after
Tennis
Australia’s
stated
deadline
for
inclusion
in
the
upcoming
Australian
Open,
due
to
begin
on
January
17.

Djokovic
and
his
lawyers
filed
court
documents
on
Saturday
stated
that
the
Serbian
was
granted
a
temporary
activity
visa
on
November
18,
having
been
detained
upon
arrival
in
Melbourne.

The
world
number
one’s
legal
team
are
battling
for
him
to
be
freed
in
order
to
prepare
for
and
participate
in
the
Australian
Open
in
Melbourne.

Australian
Border
Force
officials
cancelled
his
visa
application
on
Thursday,
stating
Djokovic
had
“failed
to
provide
appropriate
evidence
to
meet
the
entry
requirements
to
Australia”.

Djokovic
had
been
granted
a
medical
exemption
by
organisers
of
the
first
grand
slam
of
the
year,
but
his
fate
now
hangs
in
the
balance.

Novak
Djokovic
tested
positive
for
COVID-19
in
December
and
was
later
given
the
go-ahead
by
Australia’s
Department
of
Home
Affairs
to
travel
to
Melbourne,
his
lawyers
said
on
Saturday.