Novak Djokovic has reportedly been arrested just minutes after winning a court battle that challenged the cancellation of his Australian visa – meaning he could leave a detention centre.
Srdan Djokovic, Novak Djokovic’s father told Serbian journalists, that the Australian police have re-arrested the tennis ace.
The move was an apparent bid to push ahead with deporting him under special powers wielded by the Immigration Minister.
While the athlete’s exact whereabouts are unknown, TV cameras show a large number of police outside his lawyer’s office along with a white van typically used to transport people to and from immigration detention hotels.
The arrest is the latest dramatic twist in a tale that began Wednesday last week when Djokovic arrived in the country to compete in the Australian Open holding what he thought was a valid medical exemption to vaccination rules – stating that he had been infected with Covid last month.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner was held in the government facility on his arrival at Melbourne airport early last week after the decision was made to withdraw his visa, before winning his court battle on Monday.