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Novak Djokovic visa ban overturned ahead of Australian Open

Related Topics: Novak Djokovic, Australian Open

By Tiffanie Turnbull

BBC News, Sydney

The path has been cleared for Novak Djokovic to play in the Australian Open, after the Australian government overturned a visa ban.

The Serbian tennis star was detained in January over his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid.

He was deported from the country 10 days later, despite mounting a successful legal challenge.

At times dubbed "Fortress Australia", the country had some of the strictest pandemic restrictions in the world.

When Djokovic arrived in Australia in January, Covid cases were skyrocketing and government rules required anyone entering the country be vaccinated, unless they had a valid medication exemption.