Djokovic loses legal fight, to be deported from Australia

Novak Djokovic lost his final legal bid to avoid deportation from Australia on Sunday, ending a sensational 11-day battle over his Covid-19 vaccination status and dashing his dream of a record 21st Grand Slam. The chief justice of Australia's Federal Court, James Allsop and two other judges unanimously upheld a decision made on Friday by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to cancel the 34-year-old Serb's visa on public interest grounds. Chief Justice James Allsop said the ruling came down to whether the minister's decision was "irrational or legally unreasonable." "It is no part of the function of the court to decide upon the merits or wisdom of the decision," Allsop said.

The 34-year-old  defending champion and top seed Djokovic had been scheduled to play in the evening of the first day. If he had retained the title he would become the first men's tennis player in history to win 21 Grand Slams. Government lawyer Stephen Lloyd said the fact Djokovic was not vaccinated two years into the pandemic and had repeatedly ignored safety measures -- including failing to isolate while Covid-19 positive -- was evidence enough of his anti-vaccine views. "He has now become an icon for the anti-vaccination groups," Lloyd said. "Rightly or wrongly he is perceived to endorse an anti-vaccination view and his presence here is seen to contribute to that." Djokovic was also ordered to pay the government's court costs.