Novak Djokovic wins visa appeal, judge permits him to stay in Australia
By Ryan Gaydos | Fox News
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Novak Djokovic won his visa appeal against the Australian government on Monday.
Australian Federal Court quashed the government’s decision to cancel the Serbian tennis star’s visa on Monday, ending his detention and appearing to clear the path for him to play in the Australian Open.
The 34-year-old was fighting deportation and the cancelation of his visa over the country’s strict COVID-19 vaccination rules. The government canceled his visa shortly after he arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday because officials determined he didn’t meet the criteria for an exemption to an entry requirement that all non-citizens be fully vaccinated against coronavirus.
Djokovic argued he didn’t need proof of vaccination because he had contracted the illness last month. Australian medical authorities ruled that a temporary exemption for the vaccine rule can be provided to people who had been infected with COVID-19 within six months.
Circuit Court Judge Anthony Kelly noted that Djokovic had provided officials at the airport with a medical exemption given to him by Tennis Australia, which organizes the Australian Open, and two medical panels.
"The point I’m somewhat agitated about is what more could this man have done?" Kelly asked Djokovic’s lawyer Nick Wood.
Wood agreed that there was nothing more Djokovic could’ve done.
Djokovic had been placed in an immigration detention hotel used to house refugees and asylum seekers.
Lawyers for Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in their submission that if the judge ruled in favor of the tennis star, immigration officials might cancel his visa a second time. They said the vaccination requirement could only be deferred for arriving travelers who have had a COVID-19 infection if their illness was acute.
"There is no suggestion that the applicant (Djokovic) had ‘acute major medical illness’ in December" when he tested positive, the submission said.
Djokovic could face a three-year ban from the country if his visa is canceled and is deported.
The world’s No. 1 tennis player has 20 major titles. The 2022 Australian Open begins next week. Djokovic is the defending champion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fans At Australian Open Asked To Remove ‘Where Is Peng Shuai’ T-Shirts
By Joe Morgan - The Daily Wire
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Fans wearing “Where is Peng Shuai?” t-shirts while attending the 2022 Australian Open in Melbourne were asked by security to remove the shirts due to rules set by Tennis Australia.
According to ESPN, video of security asking the fans to remove the t-shirts was uploaded to TikTok, where officials can be heard saying that “political slogans” are not allowed at the Australian Open.
“Under our ticket conditions of entry we don’t allow clothing, banners or signs that are commercial or political,” a Tennis Australia spokesperson told Guardian Australia. “Peng Shuai’s safety is our primary concern. We continue to work with the WTA and global tennis community to seek more clarity on her situation and will do everything we can to ensure her wellbeing.”
Peng’s safety has been a concern since her November 2nd social media post in which she accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her three years ago following a round of tennis. She also said Zhang’s wife guarded the door. Her post was deleted nearly 30 minutes after publication and Peng’s account on Weibo — a Chinese social media platform — was blocked from searchers on the platform.
Peng was not seen or heard from publicly until a November 17 statement attributed to Peng was shared on Twitter by CGTN — a Chinese state-affiliated media company — where Peng denied her claim that Zhang sexually assaulted her.
The IOC has held two calls with Peng, including a December 2nd call that “reconfirmed” that Peng appeared to be “appeared to be safe and well.”
Shortly after the second call with the IOC, the Women’s Tennis Association announced a suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including in Hong Kong.
“Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way,” WTA CEO Steve Simon wrote in a statement to the WTA website. “While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation. The WTA has been clear on what is needed here, and we repeat our call for a full and transparent investigation – without censorship – into Peng Shuai’s sexual assault accusation.”
In December, Peng told Lianhe Zaobao — a Singapore-based Chinese-language newspaper — that she never made the accusations, saying there “has been a lot of misunderstanding.”
“I want to emphasize one thing that is very important,” Peng said. “That I have never spoken or written about anyone sexually assaulted me. This point is very important to be emphasized clearly.”
“First of all, it’s my personal privacy,” she continued. “There possibly has been a lot of misunderstanding. Therefore, there should not be such distorted interpretation here.”
Following Peng’s statements, the WTA continued their call for a “full, fair and transparent investigation” into Peng’s sexual assault claims.
“We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern,” the WTA said in a statement.
“It was again good to see Peng Shuai in a public setting and we certainly hope she is doing well,” the WTA continued. “As we have consistently stated, these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA’s significant concerns about her wellbeing and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion.”
Victoria Azarenka, a WTA Player Council member, said that attempts to get in contact with Peng haven’t been successful.
“There hasn’t been that much development in terms of contact with Peng Shuai even though from our side we will continue to make any and all efforts to make sure that she is safe, she feels comfortable,” Azarenka said.
Nick Kyrgios smashes rackets during post-game meltdown: 'Honestly feel like s--t'
By Andrea Vacchiano | Fox News
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Controversial Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios was filmed wrecking two tennis rackets after losing a match with Russia's Karen Khachanov at the U.S. Open on Wednesday.
Kyrgios lost 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3), and 4-6 in the match against Khachanov, which lasted nearly four hours.
Video shows the 27-year-old Australian walking calmly towards his bags after his Grand Slam hopes were dashed.
Kyrgios then suddenly proceeds to throw a major fit – smashing his tennis racket against the ground three times before throwing it.
Kyrgios is then seen grabbing a second racket and throwing it to the ground with such force that it nearly bounced over the net.
This follows another outburst from Kyrgios this week, where he was seen spitting and swearing at his own team box.
""Go home if you’re not going to f---ing support me, bro," Kyrgios shouted at his group of fans, including his girlfriend Costeen Hatzi. For his behavior, Krygios was fined $7,500.
"I honestly feel like s--t. I feel like I’ve let so many people down," Kyrgios said bluntly at the press conference following the contentious match with Khachanov.
"I’m obviously devastated," the despondent tennis player added. "But all credit to Karen. He’s a fighter. He’s a warrior. I thought he served really good today."
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"Honestly probably the best server I played this tournament, to be honest, the way he was hitting his spots under pressure," Kyrgios added.