Djokovic may be able to compete in Australian Open next year despite visa ban

The 2022 Australian Open kicked off on Monday and is now in full swing. Despite his absence, much is still being said about Novak Djokovic, who was deported on Sunday after his visa was cancelled by the Australian Government a second time. While he is currently banned from obtaining an Australian visa for the next three years. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed that there is still a chance that he could be back to compete in the tournament next year.

Australia's immigration laws prohibit Djokovic from being granted another visa for three years but Morrison spoke to radio station 2GB and gave the Serb's Australian fans hope that he may be back sooner than expected. "There is the opportunity for them to return in the right circumstances and that would be considered at the time," he said, as quoted by the BBC.

Of course, there will be another lengthy process in order for Djokovic to be granted an entry visa in the future. Depending on the situation when it comes to the raging novel coronavirus pandemic, he may still be denied entry if he remains unvaccinated by choice. He may try to find some other loophole, but that may expose him to further scrutiny and public outrage.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke cancelled the Serb's visa after he deemed the player's presence in Australia to be a source of possible civil unrest. True enough, the streets of Melbourne have been peppered with various protests from supporters and those with anti-vax sentiments. If he had been allowed to appear in Melbourne Park, there is no telling how the crowd would have reacted, with possible clashes potentially taking place even right in the stands.

Further outrage from the public ensued after it was discovered that Djokovic knowingly exposed others to the virus, after he admitted to attending a photoshoot for a French publication after he had been made aware that he was positive for Covid-19. He also attended at least two other public events since testing positive on December 16, but he has denied knowing about the test results when he posed (unmasked) for photos with young tennis players in Serbia on the 17th.

Tennis Australia will likely try to find a way to help get the nine-time Australian Open champion back in Melbourne, and they now have a year to figure out how that can be made possible. For now, the competition will have to continue without the defending champion. However, Tennis fans are still supportive of the tournament, with many applauding Rafael Nadal's statement saying that the event will go on without Djokovic, as it's success is not dependent on any one big name, himself included.

For now, only Nadal has the opportunity to take his Grand Slam title tally to 21 trophies, with both Djokovic and Roger Federer stuck on 20 titles as they are both absent from the Australian Open.