Australia cancels Novak Djokovic’s visa again, now unlikely to play 2022 Australian Open

The government of Australia has once again canceled the entry visa of No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic due to his refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Djokovic does have the opportunity to appeal the decision. He is in search of his 21st major, which would break the record for any men’s singles player in history, and he is the defending champion in this event. The draw for the field took place yesterday, with Djokovic as the No. 1 seed in the event.

It also could mean that Djokovic might be unable to enter the country for at least three years, taking away another potential two majors from the Serbian. The move by Australia’s Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke was classified as an “adverse decision under section 133C(3), which means Djokovic cannot be granted another visa while offshore for the three years.”

Hawke issued the following statement, and has authority to make this decision on behalf of the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Liberal Party (the center-right party in Australia).

Now that he’s unlikely to play, how Tennis Australia intends to handle the bracket is still unknown.

The futures bets for the winner of the 2022 Australian Open at DraftKings Sportsbook are currently off the board, but the scheduled first round match against Miomir Kecmanovic still has Djokovic listed as a -8000 favorite.

During the draw yesterday, Djokovic was pegged as the +130 favorite to win the event and make men’s tennis history.