World tennis No.1 Novak Djokovic will mount a legal challenge to the last-minute rejection of his visa, after spending eight hours in detention at Melbourne Airport pleading his case to border officials overnight.
Djokovic may be ordered to leave Melbourne as early as Thursday evening after the Australian Border Force said he had failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia. This evidence is required to be presented at the border by unvaccinated people.
“Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a tweet. “No one is above these rules.”
Djokovic’s lawyers are in the process of challenging the decision, two sources familiar with the case confirmed to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.