Update (0900ET): Tennis pro Novak Djokovic has broken his silence hours after being freed from immigration detention by an Australian judge. In a tweet, the tennis pro said that he would like to stay in Melbourne and try to compete in the Australian Open.
"I’m pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation. Despite all that has happened,I want to stay and try to compete."
I’m pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation. Despite all that has happened,I want to stay and try to compete @AustralianOpen
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 10, 2022
I remain focused on that. I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans. 👇 pic.twitter.com/iJVbMfQ037
For now I cannot say more but THANK YOU all for standing with me through all this and encouraging me to stay strong 🙏🙏🙏🙏
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 10, 2022
Djokovic is facing the possibility of being deported by the Australian government, which can be done by a single decision from the country's immigration minister. However, if he is deported, he will be barred from returning to the country for three years, as we noted below.
The timing of Djoko's twitter statement coincided with a live press conference in Serbia, at which his uncle, parents and brother were speaking to the media following the judge's ruling. Djokovic's mother Dijana hailed the victory in court as "the biggest win of his career" (although we suspect millions of his fans might not agree with that).
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