Live: Response issued to explosive rumour of Djoker’s ‘manipulated’ Covid test

On Friday, Alex Hawke make the call to deport the tennis star from Australia “on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so”. The Minster used his personal power to overturn a decision in the Federal Circuit Court on Monday that allowed Djokovic to remain in the country.

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Djokovic was taken back to a detention hotel on Saturday after Mr Hawke said the tennis star’s opposition to getting the jab “may foster anti-vaccination sentiment” and cause “civil unrest”.

With the Australian Open starting on Monday, Djokovic has launched a last-ditch legal bid to keep his dream of winning a 21st grand slam title alive.

The case will be heard by a full bench of the Federal Court of Australia, comprised of Chief Justice James Allsop, Justice Anthony Besanko and Justice David O’Callaghan.

The hearing is scheduled to get underway at 9.30am AEDT. You can follow all the latest updates here.

Bombshell Djokovic claim addressed

A Serbian health ministry official has denied there is anything untoward about Djokovic’s positive Covid-19 test result from last month after questions were asked about its validity.

Last week reports emerged Djokovic’s positive Covid test on December 16 — the one he was using to justify obtaining a medical exemption to enter Australia — may have been “manipulated”.

According to an investigation by German newspaper Der Spiegel, the digital timestamps on Djokovic’s test result – accessed via Serbia’s public central test registry – suggested the test was not from December 16 at all, but rather 2.21pm on December 26.

Further details cast doubt on the nature of the test result but Zoran Gojkovic, who works as part of Serbia’s Crisis Staff fighting the spread of the virus in the country, claimed it was perfectly legitimate.

“After the documentation appeared on social networks we analysed the document, and the document is absolutely valid,” Gojkovic said.

Serbian President takes aim at Scott Morrison

On Saturday Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic blasted Australia for “mistreating” Djokovic and accused Australian Prime Minister of using Serbia’s biggest sports star for political gain.

“If you wanted to ban Novak Djokovic from winning the 10th trophy in Melbourne why didn’t you return him immediately? Why didn’t you tell him, ‘It is impossible to obtain a visa?’” Vucic said on Instagram.

“Why do you harass him, why do you mistreat him, as well as his family and (a) nation that is free and proud?

“Is all this necessary to win the elections and please your public?

“A president of a small country has appeared who has the courage to say that to one great prime minister of a large country — I can because I’m telling the truth and you know I’m telling the truth.”

Vucic also slammed the messy process that has seen Djokovic’s visa cancelled twice and resulted in a second legal challenge.

“They often preach to us about the rule of law,” Mr Vucic said. “You can imagine what it would look like if a minister in Serbia annulled court decisions.

“They showed us what an independent judiciary looks like, but they also showed us what an irrelevant judiciary looks like, because all the power there is in the hands of the executive.

“We will fight for Novak Djokovic and the fact that you will harass him for a day, two or five more will not change the sentiments of our people towards the people of Australia that we highly respect and appreciate, but also our opinion about Novak Djokovic.

“You can write hundreds of thousands of worst articles about Djokovic, he will remain the greatest tennis player of all time, and we will firmly keep him in our hearts.

“And you who think that you are achieving something by harassing him, you will never reach not only Novak Djokovic, but any ordinary man, both of our and your proud and dignified people.”

“Long live Serbia, Novak, we are with you.”

Coach leaves amid Djokovic mess

Croatian tennis coach Filip Serdarusic, who was allowed to enter Australia on a Covid-19 vaccine exemption, said he had opted to leave the country after being caught in the visa controversy enveloping Novak Djokovic.

Serdarusic accompanied his brother Nino Serdarusic, who played in a Challenger event at Traralgon east of Melbourne and then in the Australian Open qualifying tournament where he lost in the first round.

Filip Serdarusic told a Balkans regional sports channel on Saturday that he was not vaccinated but had tested positive for Covid-19 in October.

The results were forwarded to the Tennis Australia and on December 10 he got the green light to travel to the country.

Upon arrival in Australia an “immigration lady asked me if I was vaccinated. I said no, but that I had the exemption,” Serdarusic told the SportKlub. “She told me there was a possibility that I go to a 14-day quarantine but I replied that I would not have arrived if I knew I would have to be in a quarantine”.

The immigration officer called her superior and Serdarusic was eventually allowed to enter.

But, on January 5, when Djokovic landed in Melbourne and immediately ignited a visa furore, Serdarusic received a call from the immigration centre to come for an interview.

“I had two options: to return home legally or apply for a new visa,” he said. “I decided to leave since I’m not ‘big’ like Novak to fight. If they stopped him they had to stop us too.”

Czech player Renata Voracova was detained on the same grounds as Djokovic and deported from Australia on January 8.

Serdarusic voiced support for the Serbian world No. 1, who is fighting against deportation.

“When we applied for a visa we had to meet the requirements,” he said. “Neither Novak nor I invented the exemption, we did it according to their rules and we were allowed to enter.

“We just used the opportunity they gave us.”

Djokovic could cause ‘civil unrest’

Australia returned Novak Djokovic to detention on Saturday, saying the tennis star’s opposition to vaccination could cause “civil unrest” and triggering a high-profile court showdown.

The case will be heard by the full Federal Court of three justices, a format that leaves little room to appeal any decision.

For now, the Serbian ace is back at a notorious Melbourne immigration detention hotel after a few short-lived days of freedom following his first successful court appeal on Monday. A motorcade was spotted moving from his lawyers’ offices — where he had been kept under guard for most of Saturday — to the former Park Hotel facility.

In court filings, Australia has cast Djokovic as a figurehead for anti-vaxxers and a catalyst for potential “civil unrest” who must be removed in the public interest.

Djokovic’s presence in Australia “may foster anti-vaccination sentiment”, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke argued, justifying his use of broad executive powers to revoke the 34-year-old’s visa.

Not only could Djokovic encourage people to flout health rules, Hawke said, but his presence could lead to “civil unrest”.

So with just two days before the Australian Open begins, the defending champion is again focused on law courts rather than centre court.

Exemption storm explodes on eve of Australian Open

After months of speculation about whether Djokovic would get vaccinated to play in Australia, he used a medical exemption to enter the country two weeks ago, hoping to challenge for a record 21st grand slam title at the Australian Open.

Many Australians — who have suffered prolonged lockdowns and border restrictions — believe Djokovic gamed the system to dodge vaccine entry requirements. Amid public outcry, Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government revoked Djokovic’s visa on arrival.

But the government was humiliated when a judge reinstated Djokovic’s visa and allowed him to remain in the country.

This time, the government has invoked exceptional — and difficult to challenge — executive powers to declare him a threat to public health and safety. Experts say the case has taken on significance beyond the fate of one man who happens to be good at tennis.

“The case is likely to define how tourists, foreign visitors and even Australian citizens view the nation’s immigration policies and ‘equality before the law’ for years to come,” said Sanzhuan Guo, a law lecturer at Flinders University.

Djokovic’s lawyers argue the government “cited no evidence” to support their claims.

The Immigration Minister admitted that Djokovic is at “negligible” risk of infecting Australians, but argued his past “disregard” for Covid-19 regulations may pose a risk to public health and encourage people to ignore pandemic rules.

Djokovic contracted Covid-19 in mid-December and, according to his own account, failed to isolate despite knowing he was positive.

Public records show he attended a stamp unveiling, youth tennis event and granted a media interview around the time he got tested and his latest infection was confirmed.

Djokovic is the Australian Open’s top seed and a nine-time winner of the tournament. He had been practising just hours before Minister Hawke’s decision was announced.

If his visa cancellation is upheld, it could mean Djokovic would be barred from obtaining a new Australian visa for three years, except under exceptional circumstances.

He is currently tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 grand slam titles each.

Spanish great Nadal took a swipe at his rival on Saturday as players complained the scandal was overshadowing the opening Grand Slam of the year.

“The Australian Open is much more important than any player,” Nadal told reporters at Melbourne Park. “Australian Open will be a great Australian Open with or without him.”

With AFP

Originally published as Live: Response issued to explosive rumour of Djoker’s ‘manipulated’ Covid test