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Novak Djokovic arrives in Dubai after deportation from Australia
Updated On: 17 January, 2022 09:41 AM IST | Dubai | AP
Over an hour after Djokovic`s flight arrived, he did not come out of baggage claim as many passengers from his plane already had picked up their bags on the carousel. It wasn`t immediately clear where Djokovic planned to travel next
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Serbia`s Novak Djokovic (2nd L) preparing to depart from Melbourne Airport in Melbourne. Pic/AFP
Novak Djokovic arrived early Monday in Dubai after his deportation from Australia over its required COVID-19 vaccination ended the No. 1-ranked men`s tennis player`s hopes of defending his Australian Open title. The Emirates plane carrying Djokovic touched down after a 13 1/2-hour flight from Melbourne, where he had argued in court he should be allowed to stay in the country and compete in the tournament under a medical exemption due to a coronavirus infection last month. At Dubai International Airport, arriving passengers wearing mandatory face masks collected their bags and walked out of the cavernous terminal. Over an hour after Djokovic`s flight arrived, he did not come out of baggage claim as many passengers from his plane already had picked up their bags on the carousel. It wasn`t immediately clear where Djokovic planned to travel next.
The Dubai Duty Free tennis tournament, which Djokovic won in 2020, doesn`t start until Feb. 14. Dubai, the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates, doesn`t require travelers to be vaccinated, though they must show a negative PCR test to board a flight. Djokovic had won nine Australian Open titles, including three in a row, and a total of 20 Grand Slam singles trophies, tied with rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most in the history of men`s tennis. Federer is not playing while recovering from injury, and Nadal is the only former Australian Open men`s champion in the tournament that began Monday. Djokovic`s visa was initially canceled on Jan. 6 by a border official who decided he didn`t qualify for a medical exemption from Australia`s rules for unvaccinated visitors. He was exempted from the tournament`s vaccine rules because he had been infected with the virus within the previous six months. He won an appeal to stay for the tournament, but Australia`s immigration minister later revoked his visa.
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