The tennis star has lost his appeal to remain in Australia following the government’s decision to cancel his visa
A court has affirmed the decision by the Australian authorities to cancel Novak Djokovic’s visa for a second time. The Serbian star will now be deported, meaning he is unable to defend his Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
Djokovic, 34, had been fighting for a second time to stay in the country, having seen the initial cancelation of his visa overturned by a Melbourne circuit court judge on Monday.
The government disputed that decision after the personal intervention of Immigration Minister Alex Hawke in the case, paving the way for Sunday’s hearing at a federal court, where three judges ruled unanimously against Djokovic.
Chief Justice James Allsop said the court’s ruling to uphold the immigration minister’s decision to revoke Novak Djokovic’s visa was unanimous.
He said the full bench of the federal court was not being asked to decide on the merits of the minister’s decision, but instead to review the legality of that decision.
“These grounds focus on whether the decision was for different reasons irrational or legally unreasonable. It is no part of the function of the court to decide upon the merits or wisdom of the decision,” Allsop said.
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