Djokovic says ‘extremely disappointed’ after deportation from Australia

Deported from Australia after having his visa canceled for the second time, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic said he was disappointed with the Australian Federal Court’s decision not to allow him to participate in the Australian Open.

Djokovic’s deportation took place in the early hours of this Sunday (16). The athlete left Melbourne on a flight to Dubai.

“I am extremely disappointed by the Court’s decision to reject my appeal against the decision of the Minister of Immigration to cancel my visa, which means that I cannot stay in Australia and will not be able to participate in the Australian Open,” the Serb said in a statement issued. after receiving the deportation order.

“It bothers me that so much attention has been focused on me these past few weeks, and I hope that now we can all focus on the game and the tournament that I love. I would like to wish the players, the tournament officials, the staff, the volunteers and tournament spectators.”

Outside of the Australian Open, Djokovic, owner of 20 Grand Slam titles, will not have the opportunity to reach a record 21 trophies. Who will have that chance is the Spaniard Rafael Nadal, tied with the Serbian in number of conquests and, duly vaccinated, will participate in the tournament.

Roger Federer, another who has 20 cups in Grand Slam tournaments, will miss the Australian competition due to injury.

Check out Novak Djokovic’s full statement

“I would like to give a brief statement after today’s hearing [domingo] of the Court [Federal Australiano]. Now, I’m going to take some time to rest and recover before making any further comments.

I am extremely disappointed by the Court’s decision to reject my appeal against the Immigration Minister’s decision to cancel my visa, meaning I cannot stay in Australia and will not be able to participate in the Australian Open

I respect the Court’s decision and will cooperate with the competent authorities regarding my departure from the country.

It bothers me that so much attention has been focused on me these past few weeks, and I hope that now we can all focus on the game and the tournament I love. I would like to wish good luck to the players, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and tournament spectators.

Finally, I would like to thank my family, my friends, my team, my followers, my fans and my fellow Serbians for their ongoing support. They were all a great source of strength for me.”