Czech doubles specialist Voracova joins Djokovic in detention amid vaccine row

A second tennis player has had their visa cancelled and been told by the Australian Border Force to leave the country as Novak Djokovic released a public statement for the first time since his detention, thanking fans for their support.

The Park hotel in downtown Melbourne is a notorious immigration detention facility where Djokovic and Vorocova are being held along with some refugees who have been sequestered to their rooms for years.

While Djokovic opted to appeal his detention, Voracova decided not to contest the cancellation of her visa and she will leave Australia. Voracova, 38, a former top 100 singles player and now ranked 81st in doubles, has earned $1.8m in her 22-year career and possesses far fewer resources than Djokovic.

The emails to the players were sent a week after Greg Hunt, the federal health minister, had emailed Craig Tiley, the chief executive of Tennis Australia, on 29 November informing him that people who are not fully vaccinated would not be approved for quarantine-free entry into Australia and that people who contracted Covid-19 within the previous six months would not be considered fully vaccinated.