In a statement released after his appeal was dismissed on Sunday, Novak Djokovic said he would cooperate with authorities in arranging his departure from the country and confirmed he would not be playing in the Australian Open.
He said that while he was “extremely disappointed” in the judge’s decision, “I respect the Court’s ruling and I’ll cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from Australia.”
He will now take time to rest and recuperate, he added, wishing good luck to fans, staff and players at the Australian Open.
Read Djokovic’s full statement:
“I would like to make a brief statement to address the outcomes of today’s Court hearing. I will now be taking some time to rest and to recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this.
“I am extremely disappointed with the Court ruling to dismiss my application for judicial review of the Minister’s decision to cancel my visa, which means I cannot stay in Australia and participate in the Australian Open.
“I respect the Court’s ruling and I will cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country.
“I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love. I would like to wish the players, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and fans all the best for the tournament.
“Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, team, supporters, fans and my fellow Serbians for your continued support. You have all been a great source of strength to me.”
The ruling: Judge James Allsop said earlier that the court’s ruling to uphold the immigration minister’s decision to revoke Djokovic’s visa was unanimous. After a 30-minute break to decide whether or not either party felt further orders were necessary, the court adjourned with no further orders incoming.
