Novak Djokovic is "extremely disappointed" after losing another bid to stay in Australia.
Novak Djokovich won't appeal again
The 34-year-old tennis star had his visa revoked on 6 January but the decision was overturned days later, only for it to then be taken away again on "health and good order" grounds, leading to another hearing on Sunday (16.01.22), where the sportsman applied for a judicial review but had his request denied.
Djokovic will not appeal again and vowed to "cooperate" with authorities over his removal from the country, even though he is saddened not to be able to defend his Australian Open crown.
He said: "I would like to make a brief statement to address the outcomes of today’s Court hearing.
"I will now be taking some time to rest and to recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this.
"I am extremely disappointed with the Court ruling to dismiss my application for judicial review of the Minister’s decision to cancel my visa, which means I cannot stay in Australia and participate in the Australian Open.
"I respect the Court’s ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country.
"I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love.
"I would like to wish the players, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and fans all the best for the tournament.
"Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, team, supporters, fans and my fellow Serbians for your continued support. You have all been a great source of strength to me."
Djokovic's visa was initially revoked after it was deemed he had "failed to provide appropriate evidence" to receive a vaccine exemption.
It was later revealed he had tested positive for COVID last month, and earlier this week the star admitted to breaking isolation while COVID positive when he attended a newspaper interview.
Djokovic insisted he "didn’t want to let the journalist down", but the sportsman admitted that was an "error of judgement".
What's more, the world number one men's tennis player revealed that on his travel declaration form a box was ticked claiming he hadn't visited any other countries in the 14 days prior to his flight to Australia.
The star has since insisted his agent ticked the "no" box by mistake, putting it down to "human error".
The sportsman now faces immediate deportation and a three-year ban from Australia.
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