Australia to overturn Djokovic visa ban, paving way for Australian Open return
The International Court of Arbitration (ICA) in The Hague has said it will hear tennis star Rafael Nadal’s case against the Australian Government’s ban following an unsuccessful challenge in Australia courts to the ban.
The court will hear the case on May 15.
However, Nadal’s lawyers will not be arguing how the ban impacts the Spaniard’s ability to compete on the world stage.
The ban has been in place since March 14.
It comes after Australia’s Supreme Court upheld a ban on Nadal and four other tennis players for holding dual citizenship, ruling that the players were wrongly denied visas.
The tennis world’s reaction was swift, with Nadal and two fellow tennis stars to announce they would return to compete in this year’s Australian Open.
Australian Open co-owner John Perry has told reporters Nadal’s successful challenge of the court’s decision would be “a huge blow” for the tournament.
“We have got a very strong brand in Australia and we will continue to support it and we will continue to give our full support to this event,” Perry told reporters.
“But it is a sad day for tennis in Australia, it is a sad day for tennis in the world, not for the Australian people, but for the rest of the tennis world that is out there.”
In his statement to Reuters, Nadal said: “I am delighted to announce my return to the Australian Open. I want to thank everyone for their support during these long and difficult trials.
“I will now go back to training and to work with my coach to prepare for my first week in Melbourne and hope that my performance in the tournament will be better than my previous performances and that I will have learned something from all of this.
“It is not that I am not happy with what happened, I am, of course, but with the passage of time and the experiences that I have been through in the last two years I have understood and gained experience from all what happens and the process and also with the results that I have achieved in my career.”
Australian Open chairman Craig Tiley said Nadal’s challenge to the ban would
