Daily Mail
The 20-time Grand Slam champion had his appeal heard in the Federal Court on Sunday morning in a last ditch attempt to stay and compete for the title.
Novak Djokovic has failed to convince three senior judges of his right to stay in Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open and will now be deported – after the government’s lawyers argued he’d become an ‘icon’ for anti-vaxxers.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion soon released a statement saying he was ‘extremely disappointed in the court’s ruling’, after losing his last ditch attempt to stay and compete Down Under.
Chief Justice James Allsop, Justice Anthony Besanko and Justice David O’Callaghan unanimously decided Djokovic did not have grounds to dispute Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s deportation order – meaning he could face a three-year ban from travelling to Australia again.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he ‘welcomed the decision to keep our borders strong and keep Australians safe’.
Mr Hawke wielded his discretionary power on Friday afternoon to deport Djokovic despite a court ruling last week in his favour.
But the odds were stacked against the tennis ace heading into Sunday’s hearing despite his previous court win, because Mr Hawke’s power is so broad.
Chief Justice James Allsop made clear Djokovic could not launch an official appeal against Mr Hawke’s decision, but instead had the opportunity to have the judges review the order based on its merit and lawfulness.
The world No.1 was required to prove to the court that Mr Hawke acted irrationally or legally unreasonably in choosing to use his discretionary powers.
Full reasons for the decision will be released in the coming days.
The judges’ unanimous decision means Djokovic could be on a flight back to Dubai, having arrived in Australia nearly two weeks ago on an Emirates flight, within hours.
He’s also responsible for paying the government’s costs for the legal proceedings.
Djokovic released a statement minutes after the ruling was handed down, acknowledging his disappointment with the outcome, which will prevent him from competing in his favourite Grand Slam.
‘I respect the Court’s ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country,’ he said.
‘I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past…
