As a sleek, black car drove from the gates of the Hall & Wilcox lawyers’ office on Collins Street and into the heart of the Melbourne central business district, it was immediately surrounded by masses of people. The large Serbian community had been driven to action over the previous four nights by Novak Djokovic’s continued spell in immigration detention and, as they gathered, they perfectly reflected the turmoil of the moment.
They cheered loudly at Djokovic’s release , but false rumours of a re-arrest had also quickly spread. Fans responded by chanting “free Nole”. Some jumped on the roof of the car and others banged on the window. They were stopped only by the teargas sprayed by police.
The world No 1 male tennis player was almost free on Monday. His victory was a consequence of the judge, Anthony Kelly, deciding that the procedure for cancelling Djokovic’s visa was not correct, but the government still reserved a right to cancel his visa. “The stakes have now risen rather than receded,” said Kelly.
The Australian Border Force was on Tuesday investigating whether Djokovic had incorrectly declared he had not travelled and would not do so for two weeks before his flight to Australia. His fate rested with Australia’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke.
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