‘I am extremely disappointed with the ruling!’ Novak Djokovic after losing the court case, says he’ll take some time to ‘rest and recuperate’
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Novak Djokovic
Since the last two weeks, eyes all around the world were on World No.1 Novak Djokovic. The Serbian 20-time grand slam champion was in a virtual tussle with the Australian government regarding his visa issues. He was granted medical exemptions to compete in the 2022 Australian Open but was detained on arrival in Melbourne.
He then challenged the decision in Federal court and eventually won the case. His visa was reinstated and he was cleared to play the Australian Open. But a week later, the Immigration minister once again revoked Djokovic’s visa and grounds of ‘public safety’. The Serb once again challenged the decision only to get it turned down. On Sunday, all three judges unanimously announced their decision against Djokovic and upheld the Immigration Minister’s cancellation of the tennis champion’s visa.
After the decision, Djokovic spoke for the first time to media and made a brief statement. He said that he’ll need some time to rest and recuperate before making any comments as the last few days were very hard on him. But he expressed his disappointment with the judge’s ruling which meant that he won’t be able to defend his title.
“I’d 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,” Djokovic said. “I am extremely disappointed with the ruling to dismiss my application for judicial review of the 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’ll cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from Australia”
‘You have all been a great source of strength to me’: Djokovic thanks his fans
In the statement, Djokovic further said that he is very uncomfortable with the attention he has received since the last two weeks and would like everyone to focus on tennis. He also wished everyone a good luck for the tournament.
“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,” the 9-time Australian Open champion added.
At the end, he thanked his family and supporters for their support over the whole process. “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,” he concluded.
After to weeks of mayhem, the Djokovic saga in Australia is finally over. Djokovic has accepted the decision and won’t appeal further. This means that he won’t defend his Australian Open title and will have to leave Australia at the earliest. The Serb could even face a potential three-year ban from the country.
Djokovic will now be removed from the main draw and will be replaced by the next lucky loser.
Also read: BREAKING: The official verdict on Novak Djokovic’s case is out, no Australian Open for the Serbian
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)