The end of the Novak Djokovic saga is set to be settled on Sunday after a procedural hearing began.
Djokovic, who returned to detention on Saturday as per a pre-agreed court arrangement, is fighting to be able to compete at the Australian Open, which starts on Monday.
A procedural hearing, where the matter was formally transferred from the Federal Circuit Court to the Federal Court of Australia, started at 09:30 local time (22:30 GMT).
Djokovic's lawyers secured an early procedural victory when it was decided the case should be heard by a full court, consisting of Chief Justice James Allsop, Justice Anthony Besanko and Justice David O'Callaghan.
That reduces the avenues for any possible appeal against the court's decision. Stephen Lloyd, who was appearing on behalf of immigration minister Alex Hawke, had indicated his preference for a single judge.
A central tenet of the case is set to be Hawke's assertion that Djokovic should be removed from the country "on health and good order grounds" and "in the public interest".
In submissions to the court issued by Djokovic's lawyers, Hawke is shown to say that he accepted the world number one recently tested positive for COVID-19.
However, Hawke adds that: "I am concerned that his presence in Australia, given his well-known stance on vaccination, creates a risk of strengthening the anti-vaccination sentiment of a minority of the Australian community."
The nine-time Australian Open champion's visa was revoked for a second time on Friday despite Djokovic winning his initial case last Monday.
His lawyers began their argument shortly after the hearing started, with Chief Justice Allsop having suggested that due to quality of the written submissions, both side's arguments would be heard by lunchtime local time.
Jack Draper takes on Alzheimer’s Society role amid his grandma’s dementia fight
Jack Draper has opened up about the heartbreaking impact of his grandmother’s battle with dementia in announcing his new partnership with Alzheimer’s Society.
The 21-year-old’s maternal grandmother Brenda has been one of the biggest supporters of his career but she no longer recognises him after being diagnosed with the condition in 2015.
Draper is the latest ‘sports champion’ for Alzheimer’s Society and will use his role to raise awareness of dementia.
“Tennis comes from my nana,” said Draper. “She was a tennis coach when she was younger. My mum played. I was always very fortunate in my family that it seemed like everyone could hit a tennis ball. Me and my brother played when we were young.
“She was always our biggest fan along with my granddad. Very, very hard-working people. Just loved sport in general.
“She has lost all physicality now. She doesn’t know who anyone is. My pa (grandfather) has done an incredible job to keep her going almost. It’s a full-time job. He is essentially her carer.
“It has definitely been really difficult for all of us. That’s why I think it’s important that this is something I want to do. Be an ambassador and support the Alzheimer’s Society. It is something that comes from my heart.
“My pa says that now I have got to the point where you can watch it on TV and I’m playing against great players, she’s looking at the wall. Which is difficult.
“He appreciates what I am doing. He says he is always very proud of me and she would be, too. Without her, I wouldn’t be playing.”
Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading dementia charity and helps those living with the disease as well as funding research.
Chief executive Kate Lee said: “We’re so incredibly moved that, in order to raise much-needed awareness, Jack has decided to share publicly the heartbreaking details of his nana’s dementia.
“It’ll make so many others feel less alone. Every day we hear stories about people losing the ability to communicate, socialise and enjoy the sports they once loved.
“We must end the devastation caused by dementia, and we’re delighted to have Jack on board as our new Alzheimer’s Society sports champion to help us do that.”
Emma Raducanu to make comeback from injury at Auckland event in January
Emma Raducanu will make her comeback at the ASB Classic in Auckland next month.
The 21-year-old has not played a match since a heavy loss to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart in April. She subsequently withdrew from the Madrid Open and opted to undergo surgery on both wrists and one ankle.
Having initially targeted a comeback in late summer or early autumn, Raducanu has ended up missing the rest of the 2023 season.
Until recently there were doubts over whether she would make the start of next year but those have eased in recent weeks as she has stepped up her training.
And it has now been announced she will play at the WTA tournament in New Zealand beginning on January 1.
It will be Raducanu’s second appearance in Auckland and she will hope it is more positive than her debut in January, when she suffered an ankle injury during her second-round match and retired in tears.
The former US Open champion was able to recover to compete at the Australian Open but opted to undergo a procedure on her ankle to repair the damage in the spring.
View this post on Instagram
She criticised the “slippery” courts afterwards but has decided to accept a wild card to return.
Raducanu’s ranking has slipped to 296 and she faces a long road back to the top of the game, but it should give her the opportunity to fill in some of the steps she missed out thanks to her giant leap to stardom.
She can use a protected ranking of 103 to enter tournaments because of her long lay-off but that is currently not high enough to earn her a place in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Barring enough withdrawals of higher-ranked players, or a wild card, she will have to go through qualifying at a slam for the first time since her stunning title run in New York in 2021.
Reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff, former world number one Caroline Wozniacki and Wimbledon semi-finalist Elina Svitolina are among the other names confirmed for the Auckland tournament.
Emma Raducanu faces Australian Open wait as Caroline Wozniacki handed wild card
Former champion Caroline Wozniacki has been awarded a wild card for the Australian Open but Emma Raducanu has missed out on the initial batch.
Raducanu has a protected ranking of 103 due to her lengthy absence from the tour following operations on both wrists and one ankle but that is not currently high enough to secure entry to next month’s grand slam tournament.
The 21-year-old’s status as a former slam champion and one of the most high-profile female players in the sport counts in her favour but most wild cards usually go to home players.
If Raducanu is not given a wild card, and there are not sufficient withdrawals among higher-ranked players to secure her place, she will have to go through qualifying – the avenue by which she sensationally triumphed at the US Open in 2021.
The good news is, after doubts about the pace of her recovery, she has stepped up training in recent weeks and appears on track to return at the start of next season.
Raducanu has not played a tournament since the WTA event in Stuttgart in April and her actual ranking has fallen to 296.
That is 54 places lower than former world number one Wozniacki, who came out of retirement last summer following a three-and-a-half-year hiatus in which she had two children.
View this post on InstagramThe Dane impressed, reaching the fourth round of the US Open, and she told The AO Show: “I have so many wonderful memories of Melbourne, and of course winning the Australian Open is an all-time career highlight.
“Melbourne’s one of my most favourite cities in the world, and I can’t wait to share it with my family and my kids.”
Wozniacki won her only slam title at Melbourne Park in 2018 before retiring at the same venue two years later.
The other initial wild cards for the tournament, which begins on January 14, have gone to Australian trio Kimberly Birrell, Olivia Gadecki and Taylah Preston.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
