10th January, 2022
Latest reports from Down Under said Novak Djokovic has finally gotten over the nightmare of his visa cancellation and freed to play tennis.
Mail Online reports the outbreak of wild scenes of celebration in Melbourne as excited fans were seen swamping his tinted car after he was led out of the building around 8.45pm on Monday.
Some fans even lay on the road in sheer jubilation as they chanted his name.
Police were forced to deploy pepper spray to control the crowd, as the celebrations following days of tension and protest threatened to spill out of control.
Djokovic hours earlier successfully challenged the Australian Government’s decision to cancel his visa, paving the way for him to play in the Australian Open after five days of chaotic bureaucracy.
Police quickly swarmed his lawyer Paul Holdenson’s office in Melbourne, where he was permitted to go during the hearing, with his family in Serbia claiming the authorities planned to ‘lock him up’.
But Djokovic has not been arrested, according to government and tennis sources, and is finally being taken to his rented accommodation.
An official escorted by a team of five police officers wheeled a navy suitcase into Mr Holdenson’s office at about 8.15pm, as the star’s luggage was finally given back to him after five days.
Immigration minister Alex Hawke is, however, understood to be still considering whether to again cancel the player’s visa.
Hordes of fans, followed by police, were quick to arrive at Djokovic’s lawyer’s office building after the matter concluded in court.
Federal Court Judge Anthony Kelly ordered the 34-year-old tennis world No.1 to be freed from detention at Melbourne’s Park Hotel by no later than 5.46pm on Monday, having already gone to his lawyer’s office to view the hearing.
Within 30 minutes, the back exit of the building was swarming with dozens of police officers who created a shield around the gates of the parking garage.