Novak Djokovic, blocked in Australia because he does not comply with anti-Covid regulations, is being held in a facility used by the Melbourne government to detain "irregular" people on the national territory.
And there he will remain in solitary confinement until Monday, the date of the hearing in which the appeal of his lawyers will be examined.
Outside the building, formerly the scene of a fire and the subject of accusations of poor hygiene and lack of maintenance, a small and heterogeneous crowd of supporters gathered, from Serbs waving flags to no vax and supporters of migrant rights. The Park Hotel in Melbourne has had a bad reputation for years, some guests have reported on social media the presence of larvae and mold in the food and less than a month ago a fire broke out that led to the evacuation.
FAMILIES - "Novak prisoner as a criminal", attacks the father of the world's number 1 tennis player Srdjan Djokovic: "Novak is Serbia and Serbia is Novak. They are trampling on Serbia and the Serbian people. We Serbs are a proud European people . In history we have never attacked anyone, we only defended ourselves. This is what Novak is doing now ", he said at a press conference in Belgrade.
Brother Djordje also adds to the dose "It is the biggest sports and diplomatic scandal. He was taken to a hotel for migrants in a dirty room with no personal effects, he was told that they would be returned to him on his return to Europe. It is he was treated like a criminal but he is a healthy, respectable man and a sportsman who has not endangered anyone's life and has not committed any federal or legal crime. "
NADAL - Rafa Nadal, when asked about the case, doesn't mince words: "He knows the rules and the consequences you face if you don't get vaccinated, it's his free choice. The world has suffered enough from the pandemic, you have to get vaccinated. what science says. If they tell me to vaccinate, I do ", his words.
"Everyone is free to do what they think is right - added the Spanish champion -, but the rules are rules, and if you don't want to get vaccinated you will have problems. After so many people have died in the last two years, I believe that the vaccine is the only way to stop the pandemic. This says those who understand these things, and I'm nobody to have a different opinion. "
"From a certain point of view - is the conclusion - I am sorry for him, but Djokovic has known those conditions for many months".
(Unioneonline / L)