Novak Djokovic will be unable to defend his title at the Australian Open after a federal court overturned his appeal against a government deportation order.
The bench of Federal Court Chief Justice James Allsop and two fellow judges delivered their verdict on Sunday evening (Melbourne time). The court decision on requiring Djokovic to leave Australia was unanimous. The court ordered Djokovic to pay legal costs of the government.
The court gave a 30-minute window for Djokovic to appeal, but the order is unlikely to change as the tournament starts on Monday. The Sydney Morning Herald reported, “Djokovic’s lawyers asked for time to reflect on the decision and the court will return in about half an hour, but his legal team did not indicate they would take any further action to halt his deportation..”
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The Australian government cancelled Djokovic's visa on Friday due to issues surrounding his stance against COVID-19 vaccination.
Djokovic was scheduled to play his first-round match against fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic on Monday night.
