World number one tennis star Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday after he lost his battle with the Australian authorities in the Covid-19 vaccine row.
AFP Sport looks at other athletes to have endured similar battles on the borders:
- Trevor Berbick -
Heavyweight boxer Trevor Berbick enjoyed a memorable career in the ring but was plagued by scandal outside the arena.
The Jamaica-born fighter became WBC heavyweight champion in 1986 by defeating Pinklon Thomas, then promptly lost the title in his first defence to Mike Tyson.
Berbick had also been the last boxer to fight Muhammad Ali in 1981 when the legendary American was way past his best at 39 years old.
After serving just 15 months of a four-year prison sentence for rape in Florida, Berbick was deported to Canada in 1997.
He was then deported from Florida for a second time in 2002.
A traffic offence led to a new investigation and immigration officials determined the boxer had illegally re-entered the United States.
Four years later, Berbick was murdered in Jamaica. One of his attackers was his nephew who was sentenced to life in prison.
- Franklyn Rose -
West Indies cricketer Franklyn Rose played 19 Tests and 27 ODIs in his brief international career which spanned 1997-2000.
He was man-of-the-series in Zimbabwe in 2000 and ended his Test career with 53 wickets.
Rose moved to Auckland to coach in 2011 but was jailed for five weeks and then deported in 2016 for overstaying his visa.
- Argentina four -
The World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina in Sao Paulo last September was abandoned shortly after kick-off as controversy over Covid-19 protocols erupted.
The high-voltage game was halted after seven minutes when Brazilian health officials ran onto the pitch, triggering a melee involving team officials and players from both sides.
The stunning intervention came just hours after health authorities said four England-based players in Argentina's squad should be placed in "immediate quarantine" for breaching Covid-19 protocols and deported.
According to Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), the Premier League players -- Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero of Tottenham, and Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia -- provided "false information" upon their entry to Brazil.
After a five-hour stand-off, the Argentine squad boarded their plane and flew back home but local media claimed the four players had been classified as 'deportees'.
- Krystsina Tsimanouskaya -
Threatened with removal back to her native Belarus from the Tokyo Olympics last year, sprinter Tsimanouskaya's plight echoed the dark days of the Cold War.
Tsimanouskaya claimed she was forcibly taken to the airport in the Japanese capital after refusing to follow orders during the Games, but managed to attract the attention of the Japanese authorities who intervened
She eventually fled to Poland which granted her a humanitarian visa.
In the wake of the incident, two Belarus team coaches were suspended.
- Hendre Fourie -
In 2013, South Africa-born former England rugby union player Hendre Fourie won his fight against deportation from the United Kingdom.
Back-row forward Fourie, who won eight caps, feared being kicked out of the country despite an eight-year stay after a shoulder injury forced his retirement and the subsequent cancellation of his contract with Premiership side Sale.
His son Hendro, just 18 months at the time, had been born in England.
- Renata Voracova -
Czech doubles specialist Voracova was held in the same Melbourne detention centre as Djokovic after also having her Australian visa, which had been granted under a vaccination exemption, cancelled
The 38-year-old was initially permitted to enter the country and even managed a doubles match at a Melbourne tournament in the run-up to the Australian Open.
Unlike Djokovic, Voracova left without contesting her deportation but said that she would demand compensation from Tennis Australia.
"The air ticket alone cost 60,000 Czech crowns (2,500 euros, $2,800) and my coach travelled with me," she told the Denik daily after arriving back in Prague.
"And then there is all that time, hotels, training for the Grand Slam, the potential prize money.
"I hope Tennis Australia will face up to it and that we won't have to take legal steps."
https://www.enca.com/news/so-long-farewell-sports-stars-and-deportation
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