Belgrade – The family of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has expressed disappointment over their son’s expulsion from Australia.
“We had believed that justice would be done. That ‘public interest’ would not be used as a pretext for a decision like the one that was made in the end,” the family wrote in a statement now published by Serbian media. Politics and its interests had triumphed over sport.
Djokovic, who was due to compete in the Australian Open in Melbourne, was not vaccinated against Corona when he arrived in Australia eleven days ago. A medical exemption was not accepted by the immigration authorities. On Sunday, the Federal Court in Melbourne dismissed a challenge by Djokovic against the second visa cancellation ordered by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke. Djokovic left Australia shortly afterwards.
“What we all, and especially we as a family, need to do now is to support him more than ever before,” the letter from relatives continued. “We will be there to work through the blows that have been inflicted on him with him.” At the same time, they said they were “proud of the strength he has shown and the battles he has fought with dignity”. Djokovic will come out of the situation stronger, he said.
During the tug-of-war over the validity of the Australian visa, father Srdjan, mother Dijana and brother Djordje had caused an international stir with sometimes bizarre press conferences in Belgrade. Among others, Srdjan Djokovic compared his prominent son to Jesus Christ and called him a “freedom hero” of the peoples oppressed by the global West.
