Tennis | No title defense for No. 1: Djokovic deported from Australia

Instead of starting the defense of his Australian Open title yesterday, Novak Djokovic was slated to be deported from the country, a stunning and unprecedented end to his run of success at Melbourne Park. 

Djokovic has won nine of his 20 Grand Slam trophies at the Australian Open — including three in a row — and was scheduled to play in the main stadium to conclude Day 1 of the tournament. 

But the No. 1-ranked player in men’s tennis now must leave Australia after three Federal Court judges decided unanimously Sunday  to affirm the immigration minister’s right to cancel Djokovic’s visa. The ruling was made less than 18 hours before the first Grand Slam matches of 2022 were scheduled to begin.

Djokovic said he was “extremely disappointed” by the legal outcome but respected the decision and would cooperate in his “departure from the country.” He also said he planned “to rest and to recuperate.”

The 34-year-old from Serbia was trying to use a medical exemption approved by two independent medical panels and Tennis Australia to get around the requirements that everyone at the Australian Open — players, their support teams, spectators and others — be inoculated against Covid-19. 

Djokovic is not vaccinated, and the government said his presence could stir up anti-vaccine sentiments.

The saga started  on Jan. 5, when Djokovic’s flight landed at a Melbourne airport.

Djokovic’s absence means just one past champion is in the men’s bracket: 2009 winner Rafael Nadal. And that also means now it is only Nadal who will have a chance to claim a 21st Grand Slam title and break a tie with Djokovic and Roger Federer (who is sidelined after a series of knee operations). 

Djokovic’s dominance in Grand Slam play of late has been particularly impressive, winning four of the last seven major tournaments and finishing as the runner-up at two others. The only time he did not get at least to the final in that span was at the 2020 U.S. Open, where he was disqualified in the fourth round for hitting a ball that inadvertently hit a line judge in the throat after a game.

Last season, Djokovic went 27-1 at majors, coming within a victory in the U.S. Open final of becoming the first man since 1969 to win a calendar-year Grand Slam.

On Monday night, Djokovic was supposed to play Miomir Kecmanovic, a Serbian ranked 78th, at Rod Laver Arena, the main stadium. 

Instead, Kecmanovic will head to a smaller arena to face 150th-ranked Salvatore Caruso of Italy, a so-called “lucky loser” — someone who loses in qualifying rounds but gets access to the main draw because someone else withdraws after the first day’s schedule was released.

Third-seeded Alexander Zverev’s opener against Daniel Altmaier was moved to Rod Laver Arena.

The Federal Court’s decision was as polarizing as Djokovic’s vaccination status in a city where residents spent more than 250 days in lockdown and faced harsh travel restrictions at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Nadal was among those who said before Sunday’s ruling that players knew the rules coming to Australia and no individual was bigger than the tournament.

The ATP Tour described Djokovic’s absence from the Australian Open as “a loss for the game” and said the court ruling “marks the end of a deeply regrettable series of events.”

The tour said it “continues to strongly recommend vaccination to all players.”

More than 95% of the Top 100 in both the men’s rankings and women’s rankings have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Patrick Mouratoglou, a coach who has worked with Serena Williams and other top players, said the “biggest loser of this mess  is the tournament.”

Djokovic’s visa originally was canceled on Jan. 6 and he spent four nights in an immigration detention hotel before that decision was overturned by a judge on procedural grounds last Monday. 

He spent another night confined to an immigration hotel on Saturday while awaiting the result of his last legal challenge.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended Australia’s tough border policies since Djokovic was detained, tweeting that “rules are rules” on that day.

Morrison, who will face a vote by May, issued a statement Sunday saying he welcomed the decision “to keep our borders strong and keep Australians safe. … Australians have made many sacrifices during this pandemic, and they rightly expect the result of those sacrifices to be protected.” JOHN PYE, Australia MDT/AP