Djokovic is a victim of politics and is in captivity, says tennis player’s family

Novak Djokovic’s family said he fell victim to a “political agenda” in Australia after being denied entry into the country.

Djokovic, 34, had received a medical waiver of proof of the Covid-19 vaccine to compete in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. After a public outcry, however, the world’s number 1 tennis player ended up being detained by officials at the border and had his visa canceled because he could not prove the medical reasons that would justify waiving the immunization.

The athlete is now in a quarantine hotel in Melbourne. His lawyers have reached an agreement for him to stay in the country at least until a hearing scheduled for Monday (10), in which they hope to overturn the federal government’s ban on entry.

“They are holding him captive. They are stepping on Novak to attack Serbia and the Serbian people,” Djokovic’s father Srdjan told reporters in Belgrade.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had said that Djokovic would not receive any special treatment.

“Morrison and others like him dared to attack Novak to bring Serbia to its knees. Serbia has always shown that it comes from a proud nation,” Srdjan said. “This has nothing to do with sports, it’s a political agenda. Novak is the best player and the best athlete in the world, but several hundred million Westerners can’t stand that.”

Earlier in the day, Srdjan described his son to the Telegraf website as “the Spartacus of the new world who does not tolerate injustice, colonialism and hypocrisy”.

Djokovic’s mother, Dijana, described the situation as “scandalous”. “They want to clip his wings, but we know how strong he is.”

The family displayed the nine Australian Open trophies the athlete won at the press conference venue, adding that they would organize a rally in front of Serbia’s parliament building in the city centre.

Niki Pilic, who oversaw Djokovic’s career as a teenager, told Reuters the situation was “farcical”. The Australian prime minister was, for him, trying to please a part of the country’s society and improve its political misjudgment.

Former Yugoslav Davis Cup coach Radmilo Armenulic said Djokovic was treated “like a criminal”. “This decision, in my opinion, reflects lawlessness and not the rule of law. They treated Novak as a criminal and a villain to stop him from winning his 21st Grand Slam.”