5th January, 2022
Australia cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa on Thursday and told him to leave the country, thus denying him the chance to defend his Australian Open title.
But news.com.au said Djokovic will likely challenge the order in Victoria’s courts.
The world number one touched down on an Emirates flight from Dubai into Melbourne shortly after 11pm Wednesday night AEST.
His father Srdjan reportedly told a Serbian radio station that his son was “isolated in a room” at the airport without his entourage and was being held under police guard.
Srdjan later released an explosive statement to Serbian media.
“I have no idea what’s going on, they’re holding my son captive for five hours,” he said.
“This is not a fight for the libertarian world, this is not just a fight for Novak, but a fight for the whole world!
“If they don’t let him go in half an hour, we will gather on the street, this is a fight for everybody.”
Even Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic became involved, calling Djokovic and providing an update via an Instagram post
“Just got off the phone with Novak. I told our Novak that the whole of Serbia is with him, and that our authorities are taking all measures to stop the harassment of the best tennis player in the world in the shortest possible period,” Vucic said.
“In accordance with all the norms of international public law, Serbia will fight for Novak Djokovic, for justice and truth.
“Otherwise, Novak is strong, as we all know him.”
However, shortly after the president weighed in, Djokovic’s visa was cancelled.