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Australia cancels visa of tennis No.1 Djokovic

06 January 2022 02:26 (UTC +04:00)

World number one tennis player Novak Djokovic's entry to Australia has been delayed over an issue with his visa, APA reports citing BBC.

The player arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday, where authorities noticed that his team had made a mistake on his application.

Djokovic is due to play in the Australian Open, after being exempted from vaccination rules.

But his team had not requested a visa that permits medical exemptions for being unvaccinated.

All players and staff at the tournament must be vaccinated or have an exemption granted by an expert independent panel.

Djokovic arrived in Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport on Wednesday and is awaiting a decision. He has not spoken about his vaccination status, but last year he said he was "opposed to vaccination".

The country's border force had sought clarification from the Victorian state government about his visa application, the Melbourne-based Age newspaper reports.

But state government Minister Jaala Pulford tweeted that his application would not be supported. Visa approvals were a matter for the federal government, she added.

The player was reportedly quizzed in a room in the airport. His current whereabouts and visa status remain unclear.

Meanwhile, Djokovic's coach and fellow Grand Slam champion Goran Ivanisevic posted a photo of himself on Instagram from a room in Melbourne, along with the caption: "Not the most usual trip Down Under."