Novak Djokovic on Tuesday warmed up for his bid to win a record 21st tennis major at next week’s Australian Open, hitting practice shots at Melbourne Park, but he still faces the threat of deportation from the country.
A week after he arrived in Australia, Djokovic finally reached the tennis court after a judge on Monday quashed the federal government’s decision to cancel his visa.
But the world number one could still be detained by the federal government for a second time and deported.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s office said he was still considering whether to use his discretionary power to cancel Djokovic’s visa.
Australia has a policy barring non-citizens or non-residents from entry unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
It allows for medical exemptions but the government argued that Djokovic, who is not vaccinated, did not provide adequate justification for an exemption.
The court ruled Djokovic was treated unfairly by border force officials on his arrival and ordered his visa cancellation be overturned.
