John Alexander says Novak Djokovic should play the Australian Open

Retiring MP and former tennis player John Alexander broke ranks to urge his colleagues to allow Novak Djokovic to stay in the country.

Federal MP and former tennis player John Alexander has walked back comments criticising the handling of Novak Djokovic’s visa debacle but continued to defend the champion.

Djokovic won a federal court challenge on Monday after his visa was cancelled last week, but Immigration Minister Alex Hawke still has the authority to see the tennis star deported from Australia and banned for three years.

Bennelong MP Mr Alexander, who will not recontest his seat at the election, criticised his colleague in an impassioned social media statement on Monday night, calling on officials to allow the Serbian to remain in the country for the Australian Open.

John Alexander in 1978.

The retiring Bennelong MP. Picture: Mick Tsikas

“It would appear Covid-negative Novak has complied with all health entry requirements … based on this, Novak does not seem to present an unreasonable health risk to Australia,” he wrote.

“What would be the ‘public interest’ the Minister could potentially use to exercise his personal powers to deport our defending Australian Open tennis champion?”

He added: “The Minister’s ‘personal powers to cancel visas’ are designed to prevent criminals otherwise walking our streets, or to prevent a contagious person otherwise walking our streets; they’re not designed to assist in dealing with a potential political problem of the day.”

Mr Alexander, who won seven singles titles as a professional tennis player, again defended Djokovic on Tuesday morning, saying there was “no reason” for him to be deported.

Serbian Novak Djokovic has been supported by federal MP John Alexander. Picture: David Caird

But while he agreed it would be a “mistake” for Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to overrule the decision and boot Djokovic out, Mr Alexander stopped shot of blaming his government for the visa debacle – instead pointing the finger at a Border Force ”error”.

“(The federal government) haven’t had anything to do with it, the laws are in place, he has met the laws,” Mr Alexander told the ABC.

“The person who processed Novak possibly made an error late at night … that’s one of the options as to what went wrong here.”

Mr Alexander warned if Djokovic was deported, Australia’s reputation as a world-class tennis host nation could be damaged.

Alex Hawke MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“We have previously been the poor cousin of the four events … we could be diminished,” he said.

“We’ve got a lot going for us (in tennis) but we need to treat it carefully and we need to be showing that if people meet the criteria they will be allowed into the country.”

Judge Anthony Kelly quashed the Australian Border Force’s decision to scrap the visa on Monday and ordered Djokovic to be released immediately.

A statement from Mr Hawke soon after said he still had to “consider” whether to allow Djokovic to stay or not.

“It remains within Immigration Minister Hawke’s discretion to consider cancelling Mr Djokovic’s visa under his personal power of cancellation,” a spokesman said on Monday evening.

The Australian Open begins on January 17 and if Djokovic wins, he will become the most successful male player in history.