A van thought to be transporting Novak Djokovic to a quarantine hotel in Australia has been pictured.
Tennis superstar Djokovic was reportedly transported in a silver Volkswagen van to a hotel in Carlton, where the vehicle was pictured arriving on Thursday, January 6.
The van can be seen in the image, obtained by Reuters, surrounded by workers in personal protective equipment.
Local reports suggest Djokovic will depart Australia for Europe on a flight later on Thursday.
It comes after the world number one has had his hopes of defending his Australian Open title dashed after being refused entry into the country.
Djokovic arrived at Tullamarine airport Wednesday at arou 11.30pm local time after a 14-hour flight from Dubai.
Upon his arrival the Serbian tennis player was ushered into an isolation room under police guard when Australian officials said his visa did not allow for medical exemptions, Reuters reports.
The Australian Border Force has since confirmed Djokovic’s visa application has been cancelled and the tennis superstar will be deported.
A statement from the ABF read: "The Australian Border Force will continue to ensure that those who arrive at our border comply with our laws and entry requirements.
"The ABF can confirm that Mr Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia, and his visa has been subsequently cancelled.
"Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia.
"The ABF can confirm Mr Djokovic had access to his phone."
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With just 11 days to go until the Open starts, a legal challenge by Djokovic, who has previously declined to reveal his vaccine status, could see the legal fight go all the way to the high court.
Following the decision, Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared "no one is above the rules".
Mr Morrison said: "Rules are rules. And there are no special cases."
He added that the country will "continue to make the right decisions when it comes to securing Australian borders in relation to this pandemic".
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Morrison said: "I want to thank the border officers for doing their job. I am advised that such an exemption [for Djokovic] was not in place, and as a result he is subject to the same rule as anyone else.
"I also want to stress that, ultimately, this is the responsibility of the traveller. It is for the traveller to be able to assert and backup their ability to come into the country consistent with our laws.
"It is simply a matter of following the rules. And so those processes will take their course, over the next few hours, and that event will play out as it should."
