Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic once again criticized the Australian authorities for denying tennis player Novak Djokovic his visa for the second time on Friday. The expulsion threatens the world number one and there is a high chance that he will not be able to defend his title at the Australian Open.
“Why do you mistreat him, why do you deal with not only him but his family and the whole nation?” Vucic exploded on social media. Earlier, Vucic described attempts to not allow an unvaccinated Djokovic into Australia as a “political witch hunt”.
The Serbian president is particularly angry with Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, who has decided to use his power to revoke Djokovic’s visa. It happened days after a Melbourne judge approved Djokovic’s medical exemption and released him from the detention center where the tennis player was required to stay.
“If you wanted to stop Novak Djokovic from winning his 10th Cup in Melbourne, why didn’t you bring him back right away? Why didn’t you tell him it was impossible to get a visa?” Vucic added on Instagram. “Novak, we’re behind you!”
Djokovic did not appeal after his visa was withdrawn. The 34-year-old tennis player will have to remain under arrest again from Saturday morning. He is expected to arrive at 8 am. The case will resume later Saturday morning Australian time. The Federal Court will hear Djokovic at 10:15 a.m. local time. The government has agreed not to expel the 20-times Grand Slam champion from the country until the end of the hearing.
Watch the latest sports videos here:
Unlimited free access to Showbytes? And that can!
Sign in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.
Zombie specialist. Friendly twitter guru. Internet buff. Organizer. Coffee trailblazer. Lifelong problem solver. Certified travel enthusiast. Alcohol geek.