Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said on Friday (January 7) that tennis star Novak Djokovic is not being held captive, and that he is free to leave at anytime after Djokovic spent his first night in a quarantine hotel.
Speaking to ABC’s News Breakfast program, Andrews added that Djokovic did not meet one of the two-entry requirements needed to enter Australia lawfully.
Djokovic’s parents and the Serbian government have blasted the 20-time Grand Slam champion’s treatment, with his mother saying he is a “prisoner.”
Djokovic was granted an exemption following a review by two independent medical panels prior to boarding his flight, but upon landing in Melbourne for this month’s Australian Open, he was denied entry.
The Serbian, who is chasing a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title, is currently holed up in a Melbourne hotel for immigration detainees after his lawyers launched an appeal, which is expected to be heard on Monday (January 10).
