When Novak Djokovic arrived at a Melbourne airport to compete in the 2022 Australian Open, his next stop was not the tennis court but rather the Park hotel, a hotel-turned-immigration detention centre. The Australian government’s reasoning was simple: Djokovic did not meet the country’s vaccination requirements.
During Djokovic’s five-day detention, his family compared his treatment to that of a prisoner, stating: “He is not a criminal but an athlete.”
Djokovic’s visa debacle and short stay in the Park hotel is a stark contrast to the plight of the 30-plus asylum seekers also detained there. Journalists flocked to the hotel to cover the story of the detained tennis player, but paid little attention to Djokovic’s neighbours, some of whom have been there for more than two years.
