Novak Djokovic was granted vaccine exemption after contracting COVID last month, court documents say
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Novak Djokovic's lawyers filed court papers Saturday in his challenge against deportation from Australia that show the tennis star tested positive for COVID-19 last month and recovered, grounds he used in applying for a medical exemption to the country's strict vaccination rules.
Djokovic has been confined to an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne, where he's been preparing for the legal challenge against his visa cancellation in the Federal Circuit Court on Monday. The exemption certification said the date of the 34-year-old Serb's first positive test was Dec. 16, 2021,"and that he had not had a fever or respiratory symptoms in the past 72 hours."
In an emailed response to The Associated Press about what could transpire if Djokovic loses his legal fight, the Australian Border Force said:"A person whose visa has been canceled may be subject to a three-year exclusion period that prevents the grant of a further temporary visa." The 34-year-old Djokovic was one of two players put into detention in a hotel in Melbourne that also houses refugees and asylum seekers. A third person, reported to be an official, left the country voluntarily after border force investigations.
After months of speculation he'd miss the tournament because of his stance on vaccination, Djokovic announced on Tuesday via social media that he'd received a medical exemption to play in the tournament.
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