World No.1 Novak Djokovic has broken his silence for the first time since being deported from Australia by telling Serbian media that he intends to shed more light on what unfolded.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t spoken publicly since a high-profile row erupted between him and Australian officials. Djokovic travelled to the country with the intention of playing in the first Grand Slam of the year but wasn’t vaccinated against COVID-19. He argued that he had obtained a medical exemption in order to play at the Grand Slam but border officials ruled that his reason didn’t meet the criteria to obtain an Australia visa.
As a result the tennis star was placed in deportation at an immigration hotel until winning a court case which ruled that the procedure used to detain him was insufficient. However, less than a week after that decision Djokovic had his visa revoked for a second time after the Australian immigration minister used his executive power. That decision was later backed by the Federal Court which resulted in the Serbian being deported.
On Thursday Djokovic held a meeting with the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic. Addressing reporters, Vucic said he hoped that his compatriot would ‘overtake Nadal and Federer.’ Making reference to the race between them to end their careers with the most major titles. Nadal currently leads with 21 after winning the Australian Open.
As for Djokovic, he spoke briefly by thanking his home country for the support that they have provided him with in recent weeks.
“Today I wanted to see you, as a citizen of Serbia, to thank you for your support, as well as all the institutions during the unfortunate events in Australia,” The Telegraf quoted Djokovic as saying in Serbian.
“Although I was detained alone, I did not feel lonely, I had the support of my family, friends, the entire Serbian people, many well-meaning people from all over the world tried personally and publicly to make my time in Australia easier.’
“You had no obligation to provide support, but I want you to know that I feel great gratitude that you stood up for me, put yourself in a compromising situation. That is appreciated and respected, I will remember it for a long time and my connection and my attitude towards the Serbian people is getting stronger day by day. Those circumstances that happened to me in Australia taught me and that bond will last forever.”
There are still unanswered questions surrounding Djokovic. Legal documents confirmed that he attended a photo shoot with L’Equipe a day after being diagnosed with COVID-19 which he later apologized for via a statement but has not spoken about it. It is also unclear as to if he had any intention of playing in the Australian Open if he hadn’t caught the virus late last year. Then there is the speculation over whether he might launch any legal action against Tennis Australia over the fiasco.
“Since I did not speak before, please be patient, in the next seven to ten days I will address in more detail everything that happened in Australia,” he stated.
Djokovic has provided no information about how he intends to speak out about those events. So it is unclear if it will be done via an interview with a publication or by a press conference.
