Djokovic admits travel declaration had incorrect information

By JOHN PYE and ROD McGUIRK

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) —

Novak Djokovic has acknowledged that his Australian question declaration signifier contained incorrect information, arsenic the authorities nears a determination connected whether to deport the Serbian tennis star, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, connected nationalist involvement grounds.

The men’s tennis No. 1 had his visa canceled connected accomplishment successful Melbourne past week erstwhile his vaccination exemption was questioned, but helium won a ineligible conflict connected procedural grounds that allowed him to enactment successful the country. He inactive faces the imaginable of deportation — a determination that is wholly astatine the discretion of Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke if deemed to beryllium successful the nationalist involvement for wellness and information reasons.

Hawke has been considering the question since a justice reinstated Djokovic’s visa connected Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said astir Australians disapproved of the nine-time and defending Australian Open champion coming to Melbourne to vie successful breach of the nation’s pugnacious pandemic quarantine rules.

“Most of america thought due to the fact that Mr. Djokovic hadn’t been vaxxed doubly that helium would beryllium asked to leave,” Joyce told Nine Network tv connected Thursday. “Well, that was our view, but it wasn’t the court’s view.”

“The immense bulk of Australians … didn’t similar the thought that different individual, whether they’re a tennis subordinate oregon … the king of Spain oregon the Queen of England, tin travel up present and person a antithetic acceptable of rules to what everybody other has to woody with,” Joyce added.

The gully to find men’s and women’s singles brackets astatine the tourney was scheduled to beryllium held astatine 3 p.m. section clip (0400 GMT) successful Melbourne, but a tourney authoritative told waiting media that the ceremonial had been postponed until further announcement and declined further comment.

There was speculation that the hold reflected uncertainty implicit whether Djokovic volition beryllium capable to compete.

The statement implicit Djokovic’s beingness successful Australia rages against a backdrop of surging COVID-19 infections crossed the nation.

Victoria state, which hosts the Australian Open, connected Thursday eased seven-day isolation rules for adjacent contacts of those infected successful sectors including acquisition and transport to curb the fig of employees staying distant from work.

The authorities recorded 37,169 caller COVID-19 cases successful the latest 24-hour play connected Thursday, arsenic good arsenic 25 deaths and 953 hospitalizations.

Ticket income to the tennis tourney person been constricted to trim the hazard of transmission.

In a connection posted to his societal media accounts connected Wednesday, the tennis prima blamed “human error” by his enactment squad for failing to state that helium had traveled successful the two-week play earlier entering Australia.

Giving mendacious accusation connected the signifier could beryllium grounds for deportation, the latest twist successful a saga implicit whether the jock should beryllium allowed enactment successful Australia contempt not being vaccinated. The archetypal quality that Djokovic was granted an exemption to strict vaccination rules to participate the state provoked an outcry and the ensuing quality has since overshadowed the lead-up to the Australian Open.

Djokovic acknowledged the lapses erstwhile helium sought to clarify what helium called “continuing misinformation” astir his movements aft helium became infected past period — though helium did not spell retired what inaccuracies helium was referring to.

The connection was posted portion Djokovic was successful Rod Laver Arena holding a signifier session, his 3rd connected the tournament’s main tribunal since being released from 4 nights successful migration detention.

Djokovic remains successful limbo earlier the year’s archetypal tennis large starts Monday. The stakes are peculiarly precocious since helium is seeking a men’s grounds 21st Grand Slam singles title.

Deportation could effect successful sanctions ranging up to a three-year prohibition from entering Australia, a daunting imaginable for a subordinate who has won astir fractional of his 20 Grand Slam singles titles here.

Court documents detailing Djokovic’s affirmative trial sparked speculation implicit the prima player’s attendance astatine events successful his autochthonal Serbia past month. Further questions besides were raised astir errors connected his migration signifier that could perchance effect successful the cancellation of his visa yet again.

On the form, Djokovic said helium had not traveled successful the 14 days earlier his formation to Australia, contempt being seen successful Spain and Serbia successful that period.

In his statement, Djokovic described caller commentary arsenic “hurtful” and said helium wanted to code it successful the involvement of “alleviating broader interest successful the assemblage astir my beingness successful Australia.”

The 34-year-old Serb said he’d taken accelerated tests that were antagonistic and helium was asymptomatic earlier helium received his affirmative effect from a PCR trial helium undertook retired of an “abundance of caution” aft attending a hoops crippled successful Belgrade connected Dec. 14.

He received the effect precocious Dec. 17, helium said, and scrapped each his commitments but a long-standing interrogation with L’Equipe paper the pursuing day.

“I felt obliged to spell up … but did guarantee I socially distanced and wore a disguise but erstwhile my photograph was being taken,” Djokovic said.

The L’Equipe newsman who interviewed the jock wrote successful the paper that helium and a lensman were besides masked during the league — and kept their region but for a little infinitesimal arsenic Djokovic said goodbye. The newsman said helium tested antagonistic for COVID-19 connected Monday, and did not notation the photographer’s status.

“While I went location aft the interrogation to isolate for the required period, connected reflection, this was an mistake of judgment,” Djokovic said.

At the time, Serbia required those who were infected with COVID-19 to isolate for astatine slightest 14 days. But Djokovic was seen a small implicit a week aft his affirmative trial connected the streets of Belgrade, though helium said helium had tested antagonistic successful between.

Meanwhile, Djokovic addressed the Australian question declaration by saying it was submitted by his enactment squad and “my cause sincerely apologizes for the administrative mistake successful ticking the incorrect box.”

“This was a quality mistake and surely not deliberate,” helium wrote. “My squad has provided further accusation to the Australian Government to clarify this matter.”

The determination could instrumentality a portion — but determination is clip unit since the gully to find brackets for the Australian Open is acceptable to instrumentality spot Thursday.

Hawke’s bureau issued a connection connected Wednesday saying Djokovic’s ineligible squad had filed further documents and added: “Naturally, this volition impact the timeframe for a decision.”

At contented is whether helium has a valid exemption to strict rules requiring vaccination to participate Australia since helium precocious recovered from COVID-19.

His exemption to vie was approved by the Victoria authorities authorities and Tennis Australia, the tourney organizer. That seemingly allowed him to person a visa to travel.

But the Australian Border Force rejected the exemption and canceled his visa upon accomplishment earlier a national justice overturned that decision. Lawyers for the authorities person said an corruption was lone grounds for an exemption successful cases successful which the coronavirus caused terrible unwellness — though it’s not wide wherefore helium was issued a visa if that’s the case.

The archetypal determination to fto him vie sparked complaints that Djokovic was being fixed peculiar attraction — and the consequent cancellation of his visa raised allegations that helium was being targeted erstwhile the contented became political. The saga is playing retired against the backdrop of increasing interest successful Australia implicit surging COVID-19 cases — and the government’s strategy to incorporate them.

If Djokovic’s visa is canceled, his lawyers could spell backmost to tribunal to use for an injunction that would forestall him from being forced to permission the country.

Sydney-based migration lawyer Simon Jeans said if Djokovic’s visa were canceled, helium would apt beryllium held successful migration detention. Djokovic could use for a bridging visa to vie successful the tourney pending the appeal. The migration section would person 2 concern days to determine that application. If Djokovic were refused specified a visa, an entreaty would typically instrumentality weeks, Jeans said.

___

This communicative has been updated to close quoted portions of Djokovic’s statement. It said continuing misinformation, not ongoing misinformation; obliged, not obligated; my team, not the team. It has besides been updated to close Serbia’s rules connected isolation aft a affirmative COVID-19 trial successful December.

___

McGuirk reported from Canberra, Australia. Associated Press writers Dusan Stojanovic successful Belgrade, Serbia and Samuel Petrequin successful Brussels contributed.