Novak Djokovic was back in training, hours after winning a court challenge to remain in Australia on Monday, thanking the judge who released him from immigration detention and saying he remained focused on trying to win a record 21st tennis Grand Slam.
But the fight over the world No.1's medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination to enter Australia and play may not be over, with the Government still considering another way to deport him.
"I am pleased and grateful that the judge overturned my visa cancellation," Djokovic tweets, posting a photograph of himself on court at Melbourne Park, after a chaotic few days.
"Despite all that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete at the Australian Open."
Judge Anthony Kelly ruled the Federal Government's decision to revoke the Serbian tennis star's visa was "unreasonable" and ordered his release from a modest hotel also used to house scores of asylum seekers.
"Novak is free and just a moment ago, he went to the tennis court to practice," younger brother Djordje Djokovic told a family news conference in Belgrade. "He's out there to set another record."
Djokovic, who arrived in Australia last week, spent most of the day at his lawyers' chambers.
Supporters who had gathered outside chanting "Free Novak!" surged around a black car with tinted windows leaving the building, while police used pepper spray to try to clear a path.
The saga has triggered diplomatic tensions between Belgrade and Canberra, dismayed some Australians enduring a surge in cases and fuelled domestic political pointscoring.
A spokesman for Immigration Minister Alex Hawke says he's considering using his discretionary power to revoke Djokovic's visa again. That could mean a three-year ban on re-entering.
"The Minister is currently considering the matter and the process remains ongoing," the spokesman says.
Reuters
