Novak Djokovic avoids immediate deportation amid visa fight

Djokovic avoided immediate eviction from Australian shores after his lawyers secured an injunction allowing him to stay in the country until his case returns to the Federal Circuit Court at 10am on Monday.

The 20-time grand slam champion launched a legal challenge in a bid to stay in Australia after his visa was cancelled for failing to provide "appropriate evidence" for an exemption to enter the country unvaccinated against COVID-19.

The world No. 1 was transported to Melbourne's Park Hotel - which is used for immigration detention - after the Australian Border Force revoked his visa upon arrival in Australia late on Wednesday night.

The saga has caused another diplomatic headache for the Morrison government, with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic accusing Australian authorities of harassing his country's biggest sporting superstar.

Djokovic's father has also accused local authorities of holding his son captive.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended the visa cancellation, arguing no one was above the strong border rules which had shielded Australia throughout the pandemic.

Mr Morrison confirmed he had received representations from the Serbian embassy in Canberra about Djokovic's case.

"Rules are rules, and there are no special cases," Mr Morrison told reporters at Parliament House.

"Entry with a visa requires double-vaccination, or a medical exemption. I am advised that such an exemption was not in place, and as a result he is subject to the same rule as anyone else."

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Lawyers for Djokovic appeared in the Federal Court late on Thursday seeking a judicial review of the decision to cancel the tennis star's visa. They argued - successfully - for an injunction to delay deportation until the case had been heard.

Government lawyers chose not to fight to have the tennis star deported immediately.

The saga erupted earlier this week after Djokovic, who has been a vocal critic of vaccines, revealed via social media he had secured a medical exemption to compete in this month's tournament in Melbourne.

The Victorian government and Tennis Australia later confirmed Djokovic had been granted a medical exemption to play in the grand slam without being vaccinated, following "blind" assessments from two panels of independent experts.

However, his visa to enter Australia - a process overseen by the federal government - was revoked after Australian Border Force ruled the the tennis star had failed to provide "appropriate evidence".

While neither Djokovic, Australian government authorities or Tennis Australia have disclosed the grounds upon which he sought the medical exemption, multiple reports have said he applied on the basis he had been infected with COVID-19 in the past six months.

Correspondence emerged on Thursday showing the federal government had repeatedly warned Tennis Australia that unvaccinated players would not be able to rely on recent infections to skip quarantine before competing in the major tournament.

Two letters sent to Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley last November, seen by The Canberra Times, confirmed unvaccinated players who had caught COVID-19 in the past six months would not be considered fully vaccinated, and therefore not granted quarantine-free travel.

In the first letter, federal Health Department first assistant secretary Lisa Schofield said the government's expert vaccine panel had advised past infection was not a "contraindication" - or a medical reason not to take a certain treatment - for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

The advice in the letter seemingly contradicts the panel's own published guidance, which lists a recent COVID-19 infection among the possible reasons for temporary exemptions.

However, the rules appear to be slightly different for unvaccinated travellers from overseas.

The Home Affairs website states unvaccinated travellers must show evidence to airline staff of a medical condition which means they cannot receive the jab.

Australian Community Media contacted Tennis Australia for comment, but did not receive a response before deadline.