Melbourne: Novak Djokovic will spend at least the next 72 hours in a Melbourne hotel before the next hearing in his fight to overturn an entry ban to Australia on Monday.
The Serb is being held in a room at the Carlton Hotel, 8km north of Melbourne Park, after authorities cancelled his visa upon arrival in Australia on Wednesday night.
At a hearing Thursday, representatives of the Serbian champion and the immigration minister reached an agreement that no action would be taken to deport the 20-time major winner until Monday’s hearing in federal court.
The hearing will take place a week before the start of the 2022 Australian Open, a tournament in which Djokovic was aiming for a 10th Melbourne title and a men’s record of 21 Grand Slam titles.
After a hearing was adjourned earlier in the day, the case was reopened early in the evening to consider procedural matters.
Earlier, Justice Anthony Kelly had asked lawyers when the Australian Open was due to start and when the nine-time Australian Open champion was due to play his first match.
Kelly said he was open to the idea of Djokovic testifying remotely from the immigration detention centre. He also warned he would not be swayed by a preference from Tennis Australia to have the case resolved by Tuesday.
“If I may say so with due respect, it is not the tail wagging the dog here,” he said.
Nick Wood, who represents Djokovic, said he was available to discuss his client’s predicament with the authorities, stressing that resolving the visa issue was essential.
“As I sit here, the lack of a visa, if the cancellation decision is valid, is an insurmountable obstacle to Mr. Djokovic being able to participate in the tournament,” Wood said.
Last February, ahead of his victorious Australian Open defence, Djokovic quarantined at a luxury hotel in Adelaide and was able to train at the famed Memorial Drive Tennis Club during his time in isolation.
In contrast, the immigration hotel where the 34-year-old is currently being held, located just north of Melbourne’s central business district, has few luxury amenities and houses detainees who have been held for varying lengths of time.
Djokovic’s supporters were joined outside the hotel on Thursday afternoon by refugee advocates protesting the continued detention of others held there.
