Deputy Australian PM: Djokovic must obey rules

Australia's deputy prime minister said Thursday tennis star Novak Djokovic must abide by the rules like anyone else amid the Serbian's ongoing immigration dispute after arriving to play in the Australian Open.

Barnaby Joyce told the Nine Network the "vast majority" of Australians "didn't like the idea that another individual, whether they're a tennis player, the king of Spain or the queen of England" could gain access to the country despite not meeting its COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

Djokovic's visa was canceled on arrival last week when his vaccination exemption was questioned, but he won a legal battle on procedural grounds that allowed him to stay in the country.

He still faces the prospect of deportation - a decision that is entirely at the discretion of Australia's immigration minister if deemed to be in the public interest for health and safety reasons.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews declined to comment on whether Djokovic should be sent home, saying it was the federal government's responsibility to decide.

Andrews said the key is to get vaccinated and no individual is bigger than the upcoming tournament in Melbourne.

Djokovic acknowledged Wednesday that his Australian travel declaration form contained incorrect information, and he also confessed to an "error of judgment" in taking part in an interview and photo shoot in Serbia last month after testing positive for COVID-19.

In a statement posted to his social media accounts, the tennis star blamed "human error" by his support team for failing to declare that he had traveled in the two-week period before entering Australia.

Giving false information on the form could be grounds for deportation, the latest twist in a saga over whether the athlete should be allowed stay in Australia despite not being vaccinated.

The initial news that Djokovic was granted an exemption to strict vaccination rules to enter the country provoked an outcry and the ensuing dispute has since overshadowed the lead-up to the Australian Open.

Djokovic acknowledged the lapses when he sought to clarify what he called "continuing misinformation" about his movements after he became infected last month — though he did not spell out what inaccuracies he was referring to.

IMAGE: AP