Tennis News : Djokovic is not being held captive - he is free to leave- says Minister

Australia's home affairs minister said tennis player Novak Djokovic is able to leave the country if he wants to.

"Mr. Djokovic is not being held captive in Australia. He is free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so and (Australian) Border Force will actually facilitate that," Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday.

Locked in a dispute over his COVID-19 vaccination status, Djokovic was confined to an immigration detention hotel in Melbourne as the No. 1 men's tennis player in the world awaited a court ruling on whether he can compete in the Australian Open later this month.

Andrews said the Australian Border Force was also investigating two other people who were granted a medical exemption.

"I'm aware of investigations in relation to two individuals by the Australian Border Force. They're going through their processes of investigation. And at some time, they will brief me, but all I can absolutely assure you and the rest of Australia of is that the Australian Border Force will take absolutely the appropriate action. So, they're conducting their investigations and they will take the appropriate action," she said.

Djokovic, a vocal skeptic of vaccines, had traveled to Australia after Victoria state authorities granted him a medical exemption to the country's strict vaccination requirements.

But when he arrived late Wednesday, the Australian Border Force rejected his exemption as invalid and barred him from entering the country.

A court hearing on his bid to stave off deportation was set for Monday, while the 34-year-old Serb and defending Australian Open champion was forced to wait it out in Melbourne at a secure hotel used by immigration officials to house asylum seekers and refugees.

The tournament begins on January 17. Djokovic is hoping to overtake rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the record books and win his 21st Grand Slam singles title, the most by any player in men's tennis.

Djokovic's securing of an exemption so that he could play triggered an uproar and allegations of special treatment in Australia, where people spent months in lockdown and endured harsh travel restrictions at the height of the pandemic.

After his long-haul flight, the tennis star spent the night trying to convince authorities he had the necessary documentation, to no avail.

The grounds on which he was granted an exemption were not immediately disclosed.

While Djokovic has steadfastly refused to say whether he has gotten any shots against the coronavirus, he has spoken out against vaccines, and it is widely presumed he would not have sought an exemption if he had been vaccinated.

A federal judge will take up the case next week.

A lawyer for the government agreed the nine-time Australian Open champion should not be deported before then.