Novak Djokovic has been sent packing after the Federal Court upheld his visa cancellation. The tennis star was pictured under AFP escort to Melbourne Airport where he caught a 10.30pm flight last night. He is reportedly on his way to Spain after a layover in Dubai.
Djokovic is in the air as we speak and is due to land in the next few minutes. It’s quite inconceivable, considering the week we have had, and truly hard to believe that he has finally left our shores, though the media have provided pictures this morning showing Djokovic flagged by AFP members on the move.
Reports state that Djokovic boarded an Emirates flight as a first class passenger to Spain and he may find it hard to get into countries with tough vaccine mandates, now that the Federal Government has upheld his visa ban and has set a bit of a precedent for what will become a very tough year for Djokovic.
They will release the full findings in the next few days, and there is also the chance that Djokovic will be unable to return to Aussie shores for three years. We will find out more about that over the coming days but for now Djokovic has put out a statement saying:-
Djokovic /- “I am extremely disappointed with the ruling.I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that can all now focus on the game and tournament I love”.
But that is easier said than done, with Serbia’s president putting out a statement and he’s been far less reserved saying:-
Aleksandar Vucic /- “I think the Australian authorities humiliated themselves with these kind of procedures pressing against Novak Djokovic… ten days if tortyrubg gun and after all, the terrible media campaign that was launched by them and by many others in the West was really something very terrible”.
Tennis Australia had to scramble in terms of the draw. They have given the number one seed to someone they are calling the “lucky looser’ his name is Salvatore Caruso from Italy he’s world number 150 and he’s just lost the semi final in a lower teared tournament in Bendigo, so this is just another extraordinary turn of events in the Djokovic saga.
