Novak Djokovic has had his Australian visa cancelled for a second time after immigration minister Alex Hawke sensationally booted the Serb out of the country.
The decision comes on the eve of the Australian Open where Djokovic was due to bid for his 21st Grand Slam title - a tally that would have taken him past fellow legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic had been successful in his appeal to have his initial deportation quashed, but Hawke still had grounds to cancel his visa for a second time if he considered the move to be in the public interest, despite the court's ruling.
And the official decided that was the case, with the decision sending shockwaves around the world.
In a statement released on Friday, Hawke said: "Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so.
"This decision followed orders by the Federal Circuit and Family Court on 10 January 2022, quashing a prior cancellation decision on procedural fairness grounds.
"In making this decision, I carefully considered information provided to me by the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Border For. and Mr Djokovic.
"The Morrison Government is firmly committed to protecting Australia's borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I thank the officers of the Department of Horne Affairs and the Australian Border Force who work every day to serve Australia's interests in increasingly challenging operational environments."
The decision comes after Djokovic admitted to attending an event in Serbia while knowingly infected with Covid-19.
He tested positive for coronavirus on December 16, something which he used to gain a medical exemption to enter Australia due to the fact he is not vaccinated.
Djokovic was then seen at public events on December 17 and 18, but claims he wasn't aware of his positive result until after the functions on the 17th.
The world No.1 also admitted to an error on his entry form, which said he had not travelled in the two weeks prior to gaining access to Australia.
Social media images showed Djokovic had trained in Spain after leaving his native Serbia, but put the administrative error down to a mistake by his agent.
Djokovic must now to decide whether to appeal Hawke's ruling for a second time.
