Judge Anthony Kelly has ordered the release of tennis star Novak Djokovic, who had been held since January 6 in a Melbourne hotel after being denied entry to Australia due to COVID-19 vaccination rules.

The Federal Circuit Court has ordered that Djokovic should have his passport returned to him and indicated that the federal government should cover his legal costs.

This means that Djokovic should be allowed to participate in the Australian Open, but the counsel for the Commonwealth Christopher Tran claimed that the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Alex Hawke, could consider to exercise his right to personally request the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa and deport him from the country.

If this happens, a new legal process would begin and Djokovic would have to appeal to avoid a sanction that would prevent him from entering Australia for three years to come into force.