MELBOURNE (REUTERS, AFP) - A court decision on Sunday (Jan 16) to uphold Novak Djokovic's Australian visa cancellation was an end to a "deeply regrettable" series of events and the Serb's exit from the Australian Open was a loss for the sport, men's tennis governing body ATP has said.
Australia was set to deport men's world No. 1 tennis player Djokovic after the Federal Court upheld a government decision to cancel his visa on the grounds that his decision not to be vaccinated against Covid-19 posed a risk to the country.
The decision ruled out the 34-year-old Serb from this year's Australian Open, a tournament he has won a record nine times, including the last three editions.
"Today's decision to uphold Novak Djokovic's Australian visa cancellation marks the end of a deeply regrettable series of events," the ATP said in a statement.
"Ultimately, decisions of legal authorities regarding matters of public health must be respected. More time is required to take stock of the facts and to take the learnings from this situation."
Event organisers Tennis Australia, meanwhile, said it "respects the decision of the Federal Court" to uphold Djokovic's visa cancellation.
The Djokovic visa saga has dominated headlines around the world and fuelled a debate over the rights of people who opt to remain unvaccinated as governments take measures to protect their people from the two-year Covid-19 pandemic.
The men's tennis governing body had previously said that 97 per cent of their top 100 players were inoculated against Covid-19.
The ATP reiterated that it continues to "strongly recommend" players to get vaccinated.
"Irrespective of how this point has been reached, Novak is one of our sport's greatest champions and his absence from the Australian Open is a loss for the game," the ATP said.
"We know how turbulent the recent days have been for Novak and how much he wanted to defend his title in Melbourne. We wish him well and look forward to seeing him back on court soon."
However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic lashed out at Australian authorities hours after the Federal Court ruling.
"They think that they have humiliated Djokovic with this mistreatment of him for 10 days, but they have humiliated themselves. Djokovic can return to his country with his head held high," he told local media.
