Novak Djokovic is reportedly being held at Tullamarine Airport as Border Force officials quiz him in relation to his entry into Australia.
The world number one was granted a medical exemption to enter the country , but according to The Age , had insufficient supporting documents when he arrived.
Djokovic landed late on Wednesday night but as of early Thursday morning, he was still being questioned in a room away from his travelling party.
His father Srdjan Djokovic confirmed the issue to Serbian outlet B92 .
A further drama presented itself on Wednesday evening when Victorian MP Jaala Pulford rejected a request to support Djokovic's entry into Australia.
Djokovic is reportedly attempting to enter Australia on a visa which doesn't support travel with a medical exemption for the unvaccinated.
Border Force made a request to the state government but, as Pulford confirmed, they would not be supporting Djokovic's efforts to enter the country.
We’ve always been clear on two points: visa approvals are a matter for the Federal Government, and medical exemptions are a matter for doctors.
— Jaala Pulford MP (@JaalaPulford) January 5, 2022
2/2
Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic posted a photo from the airport at 5am as they continued to await clearence for the nine-time Australian Open champ.
The decision to grant Djokovic a medical exemption to play in the tournament was met with significant backlash.
Tennis Australia boss and tournament director Craig Tiley denied the 20-time Grand Slam winner was given any special treatment.
"The grounds are the same grounds that anyone can get a medical exemption, any Australian returning home or any international guest," Tiley said on Wednesday morning.
"For tennis players, it was a process that goes above and beyond what anyone coming into Australia would experience simply because we had an extra panel of experts which, through a blind review, accessed any application and then granted exemptions if appropriate.
"In this case, an exemption was granted on grounds of which are personal medical information which we do not receive and it's up to that applicant to disclose what those grounds were."
According to Tennis Australia, there were 26 applications in total, and while the numbers of those to be granted have yet to be revealed, it's reported the majority were for those who had contracted COVID-19 in the last six months.
