Australia Cancels Novak Djokovic’s Visa Again

SYDNEY—Australia canceled Novak Djokovic’s visa for a second time, just days before the World’s No. 1 men’s tennis player was scheduled to appear in the Australian Open.

Immigration minister Alex Hawke said Friday he was acting in the public interest when he made the decision to cancel the visa held by Djokovic, whose fight with the Australian government over his entry thrust him to the center of the global debate over Covid-19 vaccine mandates. With cases in the country surging, Hawke said authorities were committed to protecting Australia’s borders.

“Australians have made many sacrifices during this pandemic, and they rightly expect the result of those sacrifices to be protected,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Djokovic attempted to enter Australia last week, claiming a medical exemption from rules that travelers to the country need to have had two Covid-19 shots. Djokovic, who is unvaccinated and has spoken out against vaccine mandates, was detained after immigration authorities decided his exemption wasn’t valid. They canceled his visa, but a court overturned that decision Monday on technical grounds.

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