Screenshot of foreign media reports
On January 6, Beijing time, according to Reuters Belgrade news, after Novak Djokovic was denied entry to Australia, his teenage coach Niki Pilic called the Serb a victim of Australia's political game, while his father Srdjan Djokovic angrily described him as a symbol of the poor and oppressed.
Djokovic, 34, has insisted that the vaccination situation is personal privacy and refuses to disclose it. The Australian Open requires participants to complete 2 vaccinations to qualify. As a result, the two sides remained deadlocked until Tuesday (January 4), when Djokovic and the Australian Open officials announced that the Serbs had received medical exemptions and could travel to Australia to compete.
However, in just the past 2 days, the situation has taken a 180° reversal - due to public outcry, the world's first official detention at the Australian border, Australian Customs confirmed that the Serbian's visa has been cancelled because of the failure to provide the evidence required for entry requirements, and according to Australian regulations, he will be detained and deported without a valid visa.
Djokovic is currently in a quarantine hotel in Melbourne as his legal team secured an agreement for him to stay until Monday's court hearing, where he hopes to overturn the Australian government's entry ban, according to the report.
Djokovic's family
In response, Niki Pilic, the Serbian's teenage coach, told Reuters that the situation was "farcical" and a "disgrace", adding: "Politics has interfered with the sport here, as usual." ”
Djokovic's father, Srgjan, said in an interview with telegraf: "Novak has become a symbol and leader of the libertarian world, a world of poor and oppressed nations and peoples." My son has proven that a small, heroic country like Serbia can boast (and have such a) of the best tennis players and athletes ever in the world. ”
"They can imprison him tonight and shackle him tomorrow, but the truth is like water, because it will always find its way." Novak is the Spartacus of the new world that doesn't tolerate injustice, colonialism and hypocrisy. ”
"Novak has proven that if you have dreams, you can achieve anything, and he shares those dreams with billions of people who admire him."
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday that Djokovic would not be treated specially.
In response, Piric told Reuters: "The Australian prime minister tried to please a part of the country's society and improved his poor political score by saying 'Djokovic can't compete because I said unvaccinated athletes will be banned from playing'. ”
Djokovic departs for photos of Australia
"In my opinion, this is politically motivated."
"If the visa application is wrong, then it is a farce to refuse the 9-time Australian Open champion due to the problem of wrong documents."
Former Serbian Davis Cup captain Radmilo Armenulic said Djokovic was treated "like a felon" and described the situation as an "extraordinary scandal".
"They detained him in the presence of the police. After the medical team approved him to participate in the Australian Open, he was locked in a room for 8 hours. Amelurich told Reuters.
"In my opinion, this decision reflects lawlessness, not the rule of law." They treated Novak like a criminal and a villain to prevent him from winning his personal 21st Grand Slam title. ”