(Bloomberg) — Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic had a vaccine exemption to enter Australia due to a positive Covid-19 test on Dec. 16, the BBC reported on Saturday, citing court documents filed by his lawyers.
Djokovic has been held by authorities since Jan. 5 when he landed in Melbourne, where he’s seeking a record 21st Grand Slam victory by adding to his nine Australian Open singles titles.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said on Friday Djokovic “is not being held captive” and is “free to leave at any time that he chooses to do so and Border Force will actually facilitate that.”
Read more: Australia Says Djokovic Not Held ‘Captive’ in Refugee Hotel
On Friday, the tennis player thanked his supporters via an Instagram post. He will remain in detention following a court decision to adjourn his appeal to a visa cancellation. The proceedings will resume Monday.
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