The 34-year-old world number one’s lawyers are appealing the
decision which if it fails would see him deported from Australia.
The vaccine-sceptic Djokovic was detained on arrival at
Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport having failed to “provide appropriate evidence”
of double vaccination or a medical exemption.
Djokovic had jetted into Melbourne on Wednesday having been
granted a medical exemption by the Australian Open organisers.
He was hoping to defend his Australian Open crown and claim
an unprecedented 21st Grand Slam title.
Vucic, though, claimed Djokovic was being hounded as other
tennis players had been permitted to enter Australia with medical exemptions.
“What is not fair-play is the political witch hunt (being
conducted against Novak), by everybody including the Australian Prime Minister
pretending that the rules apply to all,” Vucic told the media.
Vucic said the Australian ambassador had been contacted
twice by Serbian authorities and Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic will be in
touch with a senior member of Australia’s Home Affairs department.
The Serbians will ask the Australian authorities that at the
very least Djokovic can stay, whilst his appeal is heard, in the house in
Melbourne he had rented for the Australian Open (which runs from January 17 to
January 30) and not in the hotel he has been sent to.
Vucic described Djokovic’s treatment as being “infamous in
the proper sense of the term.”
“I fear that this relentless political pursuit of Novak will
continue until the moment they can prove something, because when you cannot
defeat somebody then you turn to these type of things,” said Vucic.
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