Czech tennis player Renata Voráčová has been deported after her visa was canceled by Australian border forces.
The 38-year-old left Melbourne for a flight to Dubai on Saturday evening.
Voráčová, who had previously participated in a warm-up tournament in Melbourne, was detained in the same immigration hotel as Serbian star Novak Djokovic after being arrested by Australian Border Force (ABF) officials on Thursday.
She is believed to have entered Australia last month with a vaccine exemption granted by Tennis Australia because she had recently contracted and recovered from COVID-19.
However, like Djokovic, he was told his visa was canceled because he did not meet the federal government’s requirement that all incoming noncitizens be vaccinated against the virus.
“All travelers entering Australia must do so in accordance with our strict laws and entry requirements, regardless of their status or the reasons for entering the country,” an ABF spokesperson said.
“The ABF uses a multi-tiered approach…this includes means of investigating, locating and detaining non-citizens who, after arriving in Australia, have breached our border entry requirements.”
Voráčová is the second Australian Open participant to leave the country.
An ABF spokesperson told the ABC on Friday evening that the former “voluntarily left Australia following inquiries by ABF”.
Sources told the ABC that the person who left was a European tennis official, although this has not yet been formally confirmed by the federal government.
Voráčová made her doubles grand slam debut in 2002 in New York, but has won only one match in 12 appearances at the top level and is currently ranked 81st.
Meanwhile, Djokovic’s lawyers have filed court applications as part of his battle to stay in Australiaconfirming that he received a medical exemption on the basis that he contracted COVID-19 less than a month ago and had since recovered.
