TIMELINE: Djokovic's failed bid to play in Australian Open

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Novak Djokovic’s effort to play successful the Australian Open contempt being unvaccinated against COVID-19 came to an extremity erstwhile a tribunal upheld a authorities minister's rejection of his visa.

The unanimous ruling from 3 Federal Court judges successful Melbourne connected Sunday came the time earlier Djokovic was scheduled to statesman his rubric defense astatine a Grand Slam tourney he’s won a grounds 9 times.

The Australian authorities doubly canceled a visa held by the 34-year-old from Serbia and Djokovic’s lawyers appealed twice. Djokovic won the archetypal entreaty connected procedural grounds, but successful the 2nd go-round successful court, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's close to to deport Djokovic was confirmed.

Djokovic is the No. 1-ranked antheral successful tennis and is presently tied with rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer with 20 Grand Slam titles, a record.

Djokovic's aesculapian exemption from a COVID-19 vaccination request to vie successful the Australian Open primitively was approved by the Victoria authorities authorities and Tennis Australia, seemingly allowing him to get the visa to travel. But helium was detained astatine the airdrome upon arrival.

Here is simply a look astatine the timeline of events involving Djokovic’s travel to Australia:

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April 2020: As the coronavirus pandemic rages, Djokovic issues a statement, saying, “Personally I americium opposed to the vaccination against COVID-19 successful bid to beryllium capable to travel. But if it becomes compulsory, I volition person to marque a determination whether to bash it, oregon not.”

June 2020: With the nonrecreational tennis tours connected hiatus due to the fact that of the pandemic, Djokovic organizes a bid of accumulation matches successful Serbia and Croatia with nary rules requiring societal distancing oregon masking. The Adria Tour is called disconnected aft immoderate players get COVID-19; Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, trial positive.

Nov. 19, 2021: Confirming an edict made by the Victorian authorities authorities successful precocious October, tourney manager Craig Tiley says everyone astatine the 2022 Australian Open indispensable beryllium vaccinated for COVID-19. Djokovic’s vaccine presumption is chartless astatine the time.

Dec. 8, 2021: Victoria authorities Deputy Premier James Merlino says aesculapian exemptions for the vaccine argumentation would not beryllium “a loophole for privileged tennis players” and would lone beryllium imaginable successful “exceptional circumstances, if you person an acute aesculapian condition.”

Dec. 14, 2021: Djokovic attends a nonrecreational hoops crippled successful Belgrade and is photographed hugging respective players from some teams, including immoderate who aboriginal tested positive.

Dec. 16, 2021: Djokovic aboriginal says helium took a COVID-19 trial successful Serbia connected this time that came backmost positive, but helium besides says helium did not cognize the effect until Dec. 17. None of this was nationalist cognition until January, aft his visa was archetypal canceled and the lawsuit went to tribunal successful Australia. That affirmative trial is the grounds Djokovic utilized to warrant his aesculapian exemption for the Australian Open.

Dec. 17, 2021: Djokovic attends an lawsuit successful Belgrade honoring younker tennis players. Parents station photos connected societal media showing Djokovic and the young players without masks. Djokovic aboriginal says helium was asymptomatic, took an antigen trial earlier the lawsuit that showed helium was negative, and lone received the affirmative PCR effect from the Dec. 16 trial aft the event.

Dec. 18, 2021: Djokovic does an interrogation and photograph sprout with the French paper L’Equipe, but does not accidental thing astatine the clip astir having tested affirmative . He says successful January that helium knew astatine the clip helium had COVID-19, saying: “On reflection, this was an error” of judgment.

Dec. 22, 2021: According to tribunal documents, Djokovic tests antagonistic for COVID-19 successful Serbia.

Dec. 29, 2021: Djokovic withdraws from Serbia’s squad for the ATP Cup, days earlier the contention is owed to statesman successful Sydney. No crushed is given.

Jan. 1, 2022: Tiley is asked successful a TV interrogation astir Djokovic’s presumption for the Australian Open and responds: “There’s rather a spot to play retired and I deliberation it volition play retired successful the coming days.”

Jan. 4, 2022: Djokovic posts connected Instagram a photograph of himself astatine an airdrome with a caption that reads, successful part: “I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission.” Tennis Australia follows with a connection confirming Djokovic is connected his mode to the state with a aesculapian exemption “granted pursuing a rigorous reappraisal process involving 2 abstracted autarkic panels of aesculapian experts.” Neither Djokovic nor Tennis Australia reveals the ground for his exemption. Tiley says a “handful” of exemptions had been granted retired of 26 applications from players oregon others. A nationalist outcry bubbles up connected societal media among Australians portion Djokovic’s formation to Melbourne is successful the air.

Jan. 5, 2022: Djokovic arrives astatine Melbourne Tullamarine Airport.

Jan. 6, 2022: After being detained for astir 8 hours, Djokovic is denied introduction to the state and his visa is canceled. He is sent to an migration hotel, wherever helium remains for 4 nights. The Australian Border Force says Djokovic failed to conscionable introduction requirements. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweets: “Rules are rules, particularly erstwhile it comes to our borders.”

Jan. 10, 2022: As portion of his ineligible effort to overturn the visa cancellation, Djokovic submits an affidavit that says helium is not vaccinated for COVID-19. Federal Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly reinstates Djokovic’s visa, ruling the subordinate was not fixed capable clip to talk to his lawyers earlier the determination to contradict him introduction was made astatine the airport. Kelly orders the authorities to merchandise Djokovic from migration detention. Hours later, Djokovic practices astatine Melbourne Park.

Jan. 11, 2022: With his presumption inactive uncertain, Djokovic is installed arsenic the No. 1 effect for the men’s tract astatine the Australian Open. The tourney strictly follows the existent rankings successful determining seedings and Djokovic is ranked No. 1; helium has spent much weeks atop the ATP than immoderate different antheral successful the past of the men’s nonrecreational tour’s computerized rankings.

Jan. 12, 2022: Djokovic’s astir extended nationalist comments connected the substance travel via a station connected societal media that is enactment up by idiosyncratic portion helium is practicing astatine the Australian Open’s main stadium. He says determination was a mistake connected his question declaration for Australia, which failed to bespeak helium had been successful aggregate countries implicit the preceding 2 weeks. Djokovic blames his cause for checking the incorrect container connected the form, calling it “a quality mistake and surely not deliberate.” He besides discusses what helium says was his affirmative COVID-19 trial successful December and the L’Equipe interview.

Jan. 13, 2022: Djokovic is placed successful the Australian Open bracket and the gully sets him up to play different antheral from Serbia, 78th-ranked Miomir Kecmanovic, successful the archetypal round.

Jan. 14, 2022: Immigration Minister Alex Hawke says helium utilized his ministerial discretion to revoke Djokovic’s visa connected “health and bully bid grounds, connected the ground that it was successful the nationalist involvement to bash so.” Djokovic’s lawyers accidental they program to entreaty the visa cancellation, saying that Hawke's ground was that Djokovic could boost anti-vaccine sentiments successful Australia.

Jan. 15, 2022: At a 15-minute procedural proceeding held via video conference, Federal Court Judge David O’Callaghan says lawyers representing Djokovic and the authorities indispensable taxable written arguments connected the entreaty of Hawke’s determination aboriginal successful the day.

Jan. 16, 2022: At a virtual tribunal proceeding earlier a three-judge sheet that begins successful the greeting and is carried unrecorded connected a nationalist video stream, lawyers representing Djokovic and Hawke contiguous their arguments. A small earlier 6 p.m. section clip successful Melbourne, the ruling is announced and Djokovic's entreaty is dismissed. Chief Justice James Allsop says a afloat written mentation volition beryllium issued successful “the coming days,” but explains the determination came down to “whether the determination (by Hawke) was, for antithetic reasons, irrational oregon legally unreasonable” and that the tribunal was not trying “to determine upon the merits oregon contented of the decision.” Djokovic issues a connection saying helium is “extremely disappointed” and “will present beryllium taking immoderate clip to remainder and recuperate.” Tennis Australia removes him from the tract and replaces him with Salvatore Caruso, an Italian who is ranked 150th and faces Kecmanovic connected Monday.

Jan. 17, 2022: Play successful the Australian Open is scheduled to begin. The men’s singles last is Jan. 30.

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