Djokovic Loses Appeal In Aussie Court, Flies Home Posthaste

Djokovic’s legal team argued in court on Sunday that the immigration minister, Alex Hawke, had erred by choosing to cancel Djokovic’s visa on the grounds that he could encourage anti-vaccination sentiment in Australia, the New York Times reported.

Photo Insert: Djokovic's historic 21st Grand Slam and record-breaking 10th Australian Open crown will have to wait, the former until the French Open and the latter until next year.

But a panel of three federal judges rejected that argument, arguing that Hawke had the right to cancel Djokovic’s visa. The panel’s decision cannot be appealed.

The ruling effectively reverses a previous decision in Djokovic’s favor and deals a crippling blow to his bid for a historic 21st Grand Slam at the Australian Open.

As a result of the ruling, Djokovic flew out of Australia on Sunday after a court upheld the government's decision to cancel his visa, capping days of drama over the country's COVID-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status, Reuters reported.

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