DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Novak Djokovic arrived early Monday in Dubai after his deportation from Australia over its required COVID-19 vaccination ended the No. 1-ranked males’s tennis participant’s hopes of defending his Australian Open title.
The Emirates airplane carrying Djokovic touched down after a 13 1/2-hour flight from Melbourne, the place he had argued in court docket he must be allowed to remain within the nation and compete within the event beneath a medical exemption as a result of a coronavirus an infection final month.
At Dubai Worldwide Airport, arriving passengers sporting obligatory face masks collected their luggage and walked out of the cavernous terminal. Over an hour after Djokovic’s flight arrived, he didn’t come out of luggage declare as many passengers from his airplane already had picked up their luggage on the carousel.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
Learn Extra: Why Australians Are Livid Over Anti-Vaxxer Novak Djokovic
It wasn’t instantly clear the place Djokovic deliberate to journey subsequent. The Dubai Obligation Free tennis event, which Djokovic gained in 2020, doesn’t begin till Feb. 14.
Dubai, the industrial capital of the United Arab Emirates, doesn’t require vacationers to be vaccinated, although they have to present a damaging PCR take a look at to board a flight.
Djokovic had gained 9 Australian Open titles, together with three in a row, and a complete of 20 Grand Slam singles trophies, tied with rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for essentially the most within the historical past of males’s tennis. Federer will not be enjoying whereas recovering from damage, and Nadal is the one former Australian Open males’s champion within the event that started Monday.
Djokovic’s visa was initially canceled on Jan. 6 by a border official who determined he didn’t qualify for a medical exemption from Australia’s guidelines for unvaccinated guests. He was exempted from the event’s vaccine guidelines as a result of he had been contaminated with the virus throughout the earlier six months.
He gained an enchantment to remain for the event, however Australia’s immigration minister later revoked his visa. Three Federal Court docket judges determined unanimously Sunday to affirm the immigration minister’s proper to cancel Djokovic’s visa.
Learn Extra: Noval Djokovic Might Have Averted Controversy If He’d Been Vaccinated
Vaccination amid the pandemic was a requirement for anybody on the Australian Open, whether or not gamers, their coaches or anybody on the event website. Greater than 95% of all Prime 100 women and men of their excursions’ respective rankings are vaccinated. No less than two males — American Tennys Sandgren and Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert — skipped the primary main event of the 12 months because of the vaccine requirement.
Djokovic’s try and get the medical exemption for not being vaccinated sparked anger in Australia, the place strict lockdowns in cities and curbs on worldwide journey have been employed to attempt to management the unfold of the coronavirus for the reason that pandemic started.
