This morning he was to be the protagonist of the opening match of the Australian Open. And instead Novak Djokovic, the number 1 tennis player in the world expelled from Australia after a long diatribe over the coronavirus vaccination rules, returned to Belgrade after stopping overnight in Dubai with a flight from Melbourne.
The unvaccinated Serbian champion landed at 12.16 at Nikola Tesla airport, where numerous reporters and camera crews had been waiting for hours. He was also welcomed by many supporters shouting “Nole, Nole”, amidst the waving of the tricolor flags of Serbia. However, according to Tanjug, the champion avoided meeting the media and fans, leaving the airport without making any statements.
THE CASE - Nole aspired to the tenth title of the Aus Open and the 21st of a slam and instead goes away after the Australian Federal Court rejected the appeal request against the cancellation of her visa, thus closing a case that began on January 5 last, when Australian immigration had stopped him considering his Covid documentation unsuitable. The three judges, after examining the positions of the parties at length, unanimously confirmed the cancellation of the tennis player's visa ordered by the Australian government. Without going into the merits, but considering the initiative of the legal executive.
Djokovic has nothing left to do but leave Melbourne with his coaches yesterday at 10:51 pm local time (12:51 pm in Italy), heading for Belgrade. "Extremely disappointed" while "respecting the sentence", he commented hotly before boarding the first flight to Dubai. Perhaps somewhat relieved after the "distress over the attention of the last few weeks", he wished "all the best for the tournament" that is about to begin. In the near future, he explained, there will only be room for "rest and recovery".
At this point, the first Grand Slam of the year risks being remembered above all for Djokovic's departure, rather than for the results on the pitch. In his place will play the Italian Salvatore Caruso, 150th in the world, but without the Serbian star it will be "a defeat for tennis", commented the ATP.
For Nole, on the other hand, an image and economic damage that could reach 50 million euros. His Serbia, meanwhile, is ready to welcome him as a true national hero: the news of his expulsion from Australia stands out on all the front pages of the Belgrade newspapers with words like "scandal" and "shame".
(Unioneonline / D)
