The lawyers for the Serbian tennis player, world number one, Novak Djokovic, announced on Saturday that the latter requested his transfer from his detention center in Melbourne so that he can train before the start of the Australian Open, noting that he received medical exemption for his infection with Corona last December.
The lawyers wrote in a request to the Federal Court, which will consider the issue of canceling his entry to Australia, that Djokovic was placed in the “Park Hotel” on his arrival in the country “despite requests for his transfer”.
They added that he was detained for eight hours upon arrival and was almost “isolated from the outside world”.
The nine-times Australian Open champion, one of the four grand slams that begins on January 17, was stripped of his visa and placed in government detention in Melbourne this week, angering his fans and family.
The main difference in Australia is that you can get a temporary exemption for the vaccine if you can prove you’ve had COVID in the last six months, under guidelines from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Community Immunology.
The Serbian’s lawyers noted in the request that “the date of the first positive smear in Corona was registered on December 16, 2021,” in order to justify his obtaining a medical exemption from the vaccine for his entry into Australia.
Despite the widespread controversy surrounding the case as mistreatment of Djoko, it remains unclear what exactly happened when the 34-year-old Serb handed over his passport and papers at border control in Terminal 2 at Melbourne Airport late on Wednesday night. .
From the Australian government’s perspective, some facts are emerging, as Djokovic is said to have failed to meet the country’s strict COVID-19 measures for foreign arrivals to Australia.
Requirements for non-Australian arrivals trying to cross the border are usually more stringent than for citizens who wish to obtain exemption from Covid vaccines at home.
On Monday, a hearing on Djokovic’s appeal is expected to be held.