The burning issue of the 34-year-old Serb's Australian visa is coming to an end.

The decisive hearing began in a federal court during the night towards Sunday, Swedish time.

A few hours later, the three judges withdrew for deliberations.

Djokovic is in custody and participated via video link from his lawyers' office in Melbourne.

The trial will decide whether the world setter and the reigning champion will be allowed to stay in the country and participate in the Australian Open, where he has the chance to become the first male tennis player in history to win 21 grand slam titles.

Civil disobedience

The Australian government has described Djokovic, who has not been vaccinated against covid-19, as a danger to society.

According to previous legal documents, the Minister of Migration Alex Hawke believes that Djokovic's continued presence in the country risks, among other things, encouraging people to civil disobedience and ignoring the pandemic restrictions.

- He has become an icon for anti-wax groups.

Right or wrong, the perception is that he encourages anti-vaccination views.

His presence here seems to help more people become anti-vaccination, says lawyer Stephen Lloyd, who represents the government, during the negotiations according to the BBC.

Djokovic's lawyer Nick Wood argued in Sunday's hearing that the government has no support whatsoever for its conclusions.

Wood explained that the unvaccinated Djokovic has neither shown support for vaccine opponents nor can be associated with that movement.


The government's lawyer Stephen Lloyd, in turn, said that the fact that Djokovic had not been vaccinated two years into the pandemic and even neglected to isolate himself when he was covid positive was proof enough.

Risks being ported

The three judges are expected to make their decision later on Sunday or at the latest on Monday, when the Australian Open begins.


It was on Friday that the Australian government withdrew Novak Djokovic's visa for the second time in a short time.

The decision was appealed and a first short court hearing was held on Saturday.

If the star loses in court, he will be expelled.

He also risks being ported from Australia for three years.

When Djokovic arrived in the country on January 5 and had his visa denied, he spent four days in solitary confinement in an asylum hotel, before a first court hearing returned the visa to him.

The reason why his visa was originally withdrawn is that the players must, as a general rule, be double-vaccinated and that the authorities have not accepted his medical exemption.

He is also accused of inaccuracies in his entry form.