Novak Djokovic accused of stalling tactics as Federal Government mulls visa fight

The battle between Novak Djokovic and the Federal Government over the world No.1 tennis star’s visa has escalated, with the two sides at odds over who is causing delays.

A fight has erupted over the delays in the federal government’s decision on whether to cancel Novak Djokovic’s visa, as the deadline over his fate looms.

Government sources on Thursday accused the tennis star of delaying tactics in the case that’s garnered global attention, saying for a second day his legal team had dumped documents in a bid to halt the dispute.`

But sources close to Djokovic’s camp hit back on Thursday night saying that only a single-page document was filed with one line of text.

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When asked about the case, Djokovic’s lawyers refused to comment.

The Herald Sun understands the government is determined to fight the case against the Serb, but is extremely concerned at the possibility of losing for a second time, after a Border Force decision to cancel his visa was embarrassingly quashed on Monday.

However, some senior figures in government have been urging the decision-makers not to back down, even if that risked them suffering another loss.

Novak Djokovic has been accused of stalling tactics. Picture: Getty Images

They say the government must fight the case in order to be seen to be defending the integrity of Australia’s border policy.

The back-and-forth came after a decision over Djokovic’s fate, widely expected to be made on Thursday, never eventuated.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison refused to be drawn on the visa debacle, handballing back to his immigration minister, Alex Hawke, who must make the ultimate decision on whether he exercises a personal power to deport the star.

“These are personal ministerial powers able to be exercised by Minister Hawke and I don’t propose to make any further comment at this time,” Mr Morrison said in a press conference on Thursday.

Well placed sources have said if the government decides to cancel Djokovic’s visa again, its case “needs to be iron clad”.

Mr Hawke’s decision on whether he should seek to deport the 34-year-old under a personal power would “almost definitely” be made Friday, according to sources.

Any delay in determining the case could cost the tennis star the chance to compete in the Australian Open, which launches on Monday, where he is chasing a record 21st grand slam.

The tournament draw was on Thursday delayed for more than an hour as officials continued to wait for an answer on whether his visa would be challenged.

Immigration minister Alex Hawke has a massive decision to make on Novak Djokovic. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The world No. 1 eventually drew fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round.

Djokovic trained for almost two hours on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday, with media permitted to observe 15 minutes of baseline work as a news chopper hovered above the session held in the peak of the day’s heat.

If Djokovic is detained before the tournament begins on Monday, he may have run out of time to fight for his release through the court.

It was “almost unprecedented” that a judge would grant an injunction that would allow Djokovic to be in the community if he had his visa cancelled for a second time, according to one government source.

If the case was to overlap with the launch of the tournament, it could cause significant backlash from those supportive of Djokovic and critical of the government’s handling of the case.

In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Mr Morrison was asked if unvaccinated foreign citizens were a threat to Australia’s public health, to which he said the rules were central to the government’s achievements during the pandemic.

“If you are not a citizen or resident, then the health rules we have in place, to protect our borders, and our border protection policies have been central to the government’s achievements … and Australia’s achievements more generally, in having one of the lowest death rates, strongest economies and highest vaccination rates in the world,” he said.

Shadow Home Affairs minister Kristina Keneally said it had been 57 days since Djokovic was granted his visa and called on the government to make a decision over the “farcical mess”.

“For goodness sake, the whole world is watching and waiting,” she said. “If Novak Djokovic stays, then what does that say about our vaccine border rules and the competence of this government?” Ms Keneally said.

“If he’s deported, despite the court ruling, what does that do to Australia’s reputation across the globe?”

Originally published as Novak Djokovic accused of stalling tactics as Federal Government mulls visa fight