Novak Djokovic denied entry to Australia, his visa was cancelled

Novak Djokovic was denied entry into Australia and had his visa cancelled, after arriving in Melbourne late on Wednesday, to defend his title at the season-opening tennis major.

The Australian Border Force issued a statement on Thursday saying that Djokovic failed to provide “appropriate evidence to meet entry requirements and has visa has been subsequently cancelled”.

The top-ranked Djokovic had flown in after receiving a medical exemption from the strict vaccination requirements in place for the Australian Open, where he is a nine-time winner.

Australian media reported that Djokovic’s team had applied for the wrong type of visa. It led Serbia’s President to blast the harassment of the 20-time major winner, who spent the night at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport.

Also read: Australian Open head to Djokovic: no vaccine status, no play

The medical exemption had been expected to allow him to play regardless of his vaccination status for COVID-19, something that he has not disclosed, but he also needed to meet strict border regulations to enter the country.