Srinagar, January 14: Australian Government has revoked the Visa of Number 1 Tennis player in the World , Novak Djokovic for the second time ahead of Australian Open.
The decision by Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke means Djokovic now faces being deported.
However, the 34-year-old Serbian can still launch another legal challenge to remain in the country.
The men’s tennis number one was scheduled to play in the Australian Open, which begins on Monday.
“Today I exercised my power… to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so,” the minister said in a statement.
The move also means Djokovic likely faces a three-year ban on obtaining a new Australian visa.
Djokovic’s visa was first revoked shortly after his arrival in Melbourne on 6 January, after Australian border Force officials said he had “failed to provide appropriate evidence” to receive a vaccine exemption.
There was also enormous backlash from the Australian public, who have lived under some of the world’s longest and strictest lockdowns during the pandemic.