Defending champion Novak Djokovic to miss Australian Open 2022, says he is 'extremely disappointed' by court's ruling
Jan 16, 2022
Melbourne [Australia], January 16 : Novak Djokovic on Sunday said he is "extremely disappointed" by the Australian court's ruling to dismiss the tennis player's application for judicial review of the cancellation of his visa.
The world number one men's singles player further confirmed that he will not participate in the Australian Open, where he is the three-time defending champion.
A statement released by the nine-time AO champion read: "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," he added.
"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," he signed off.
Novak Djokovic on Sunday lost his appeal against deportation, the Chief Justice James Allsop of the Federal Court of Australia announced.
Djokovic will now be required to leave Australia. The decision was unanimous, said Chief Justice Allsop. Other judges who were hearing Djokovic's appeal were Anthony Besanko, and David O'Callaghan of the Federal Court of Australia.
The tennis player was also ordered to pay the legal costs to the government. Djokovic's visa was cancelled on Friday by Hawke, the Australian Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services, and Multicultural Affairs.
