Novak Djokovic in guarded room after landing in Australia
CTV
Novak Djokovic is being held in a room with police out front after landing in Melbourne for the Australian Open, his father said Wednesday amid reports that a visa mix-up could jeopardize the top-ranked Serb's entry into the country.
Djokovic received a medical exemption to play at the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the season, where he is a nine-time winner and the defending champion. The exemption allows him to play regardless of his vaccination status for COVID-19, something he has not disclosed, but he also needs to meet strict border regulations to enter the country.
"Novak is currently in a room which no one can enter," Djokovic's father, Srdjan Djokovic, told the B92 internet portal. "In front of the room are two policemen."
The Age newspaper in Melbourne reported that Djokovic had landed Wednesday before midnight local time at Tullamarine Airport, but his entry was delayed because of a mistake with his visa application.
Speculation of a possible issue with the visa emerged while Djokovic was in transit and escalated with mixed messages from federal and state lawmakers.
