The Guardian Weekly 14 January 202220
A
s a sleek, black car drove
from the gates of the Hall
& Wilcox lawyers’ office
on Collins Street and into
the heart of the Melbourne central
business district, it was immediately
surrounded by masses of people. The
large Serbian community had been
driven to action over the previous four
nights by Novak Djokovic’s continued
spell in immigration detention and, as
they gathered, they perfectly refl ected
the turmoil of the moment.
They cheered loudly at Djokovic’s
release , but false rumours of a
re arrest had also quickly spread. Fans
responded by chanting “free Nole”.
Some jumped on the roof of the car
and others banged on the window.
They were stopped only by the tear-
gas sprayed by police.
The world No 1 male tennis player
was almost free on Monday. His vic-
tory was a consequence of the judge,
Anthony Kelly, deciding that the pro-
cedure for cancelling Djokovic’s visawas not correct, but the government
still reserve d a right to cancel his visa.
“The stakes have now risen rather than
receded,” said Kelly.
The Australian Border Force was on
Tuesday investigating whether Djoko-
vic had incorrectly declared he had not
travelled and would not do so for two
weeks before his fl ight to Australia. His
fate rested with Australia’s immigra-
tion minister, Alex Hawke.
Any such decision would probably
be met by a fresh legal challenge
from Djokovic, and a request for an
injunction to stay out of immigra-
tion detention so that he could play
in the Australian Open from 17 Janu-
ary, where he is chasing a record 21st
grand slam men’s singles title.
As Djokovic began his journey to
Melbourne , Scott Morrison, the Aus-
tralian prime minister, spoke of the
need to ensure that Djokovic was
treated like anyone at the border. The
tennis player’s immigration interview
provided helpful insight into howDjokovic is
prominent
and
wealthy.
Many do
not have
the same
luxury▲ Novak Djokovic
has provided an
insight into how
the border force
treat people
PAUL CROCK/AFP /GETTYAUSTR ALIADjokovic
furore hides
trail of
unanswered
questions
The tennis star was released
from detention, having gained
a new fanbase of anti-vaxxers
and far-right fi guresBy Tumaini Carayol MELBOURNEothers really are treated. Djokovic
had arrived at Melbourne airport just
before midnight and after numerous
discussions, was handed the “notice of
intention” regarding the cancellation
of his visa just before 4am.
Faced with the prospect of
immediate deportation, Djokovic was
given 20 minutes to explain why he
should be allowed into the country.
When he politely told the Australian
Border Force that he needed to speak
to his lawyers and Tennis Australia, he
was fi rst given until 8 .30am to respond
before being pushed to decide sooner.
Believing there was no chance of any
other outcome but a cancelled visa,
he relented.
Djokovic is prominent and wealthy.
Many people in a similar uncomfort-
able position do not have the luxury of
hiring a team of lawyers to dissect pro-
cedural ills. It is an important insight
into how helpless most people are
when at the mercy of the border force.
After the court documents releasedSpotlight
Coronavirus