By Adegboyega Adeleye
21-Grand slam winner, Novak Djokovic says his deportation from Australia in early January is an unforgettable moment of his lifetime.
The 35-year-old was detained and sent home by the Australian Border Force in January for not meeting federal coronavirus requirements.
His visa was revoked after trying to enter the country to compete at this year’s Australian Open but he overturned a three-year ban on applying for a visa in November and will compete in the 2023 tournament.
Reflecting on the sad experience, Djokovic said: “You can’t forget those events, It’s one of these things that sticks with you, it stays with you for I guess the rest of your life. It was something that I’ve never experienced before, and hopefully never again.”
Australian Open qualifying starts on 9 January, with the first round getting underway on 16 January.
The nine-time Australian Open champion continued, “It is a valuable life experience for me. I have to move on. Coming back to Australia speaks how I feel about this country, how I feel about playing here.
“I was really hoping that I’m going to have my permission back to get back into Australia and play here because it’s a country where I’ve had tremendous success in my career.”
Djokovic was originally granted a medical exemption to enter Australia by two different independent health panels – one commissioned by Tennis Australia, the other by the state government of Victoria – after testing positive for coronavirus in mid-December of 2021.
However, the Australian Border Force detained him on 5 January for not meeting federal coronavirus requirements, and his visa was revoked at the time.
A judge overturned that decision but the government later stepped in to revoke the visa again, saying it was in the public interest.
Djokovic said he was “extremely disappointed” but accepted the ruling and later left on a flight to Dubai after the 10-day saga that prevented him from defending his title in the Australian Open.
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