Police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
There were some heated scenes in Melbourne on Monday as fans of Novak Djokovic crowded around a car they thought was carrying the tennis player.
The crowd were chanting “Free Novak!” as police struggled to hold back the enthusiastic crowd as they packed around the vehicle and prevented it from travelling down the street.
Police also used pepper spray on the crowd to help clear a path for the car from the offices of the Serbian’s lawyer in Melbourne.
“Extraordinary. And it’s turned violent,” 9News reporter Adam Hegarty said from the scene.
#BREAKING: Novak Djokovic fans have locked down Melbourne streets as riots turn violent. #9News DETAILS: https://t.co/lh344JaepC pic.twitter.com/ER8QlpguQb
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) January 10, 2022
Djokovic has been cleared to play in the tournament after the decision to cancel his visa was overturned by a federal district court judge on Monday.
Judge Anthony Kelly ordered Djokovic be released from immigration detention within 30 minutes of the order.
However, the Australian government’s counsel, Christopher Tran, said the immigration minister will consider exercising a personal power to cancel Djokovic’s visa, which would mean Djokovic would be unable to compete in the tournament.
If invoked, it would mean that Djokovic would be excluded from Australia for three years.
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