BELGRADE (LifeSiteNews) – Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has blasted the Australian government as launching a “witch hunt” against national tennis ace Novak Djokovic following the star’s imprisonment and subsequent deportation from the country over his COVID jab status ahead of the Australian Open tournament.
As the world’s number one player was forced to leave Australia at the end of a fierce legal battle to restore his visa, Vučić heavily criticized both the motivations behind and actions taken against one of the former Yugoslavian nation’s favorite sons.
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, the president accused Australian officials of “tormenting” and “torturing” the champion player.
“It was not only intellectual but physical torture against Novak … Including the most terrible campaign against one athlete, like he became a mass killer or something like that,” Vučić said, noting that Djokovic “came to Australia with a medical exemption proposal and then you [the Australian authorities] were mistreating him for 10 days.”
“Why did you do it? Doing a witch-hunt against him? This is something that no one can understand,” the president continued.
He added that he looks forward to greeting Djokovic as he returns to Serbian soil, saying the player “is always welcome in Serbia.”
Speaking with Serbian media, the president doubled down on his reproaches, stating that a “lynching mood” against Djokovic, stirred up by legacy media, had reached “unprecedented proportions.”
“Novak was used to make an example of how the world order works,” the president added.
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic echoed Vučić’s criticisms, characterizing Djokovic’s treatment Down Under as “scandalous.”
Speaking to local reporters in Serbia, the prime minister said she is “disappointed” by the decision to deport the tennis star, describing the move as a demonstration of “how the rule of law is functioning, or better to say not functioning, in some other countries.”
Like the president, Brnabic concluded on a note of support for Djokovic as he returned home, saying she “can hardly wait to see Novak Djokovic in our own country, in Serbia.”
According to a report in the Brisbane Times, officials at Serbia’s national tennis association, the Serbian Tennis Federation (TSS), conveyed support for Djokovic, lamenting that “politics has beaten sport” while at the same time expressing relief that at least “the farce is over.”
The organization stated that the star player “has been denied an opportunity to win a milestone 10th title [in Australia]” and that “[p]olitical pressure has led to the revocation of his visa to satisfy ‘public interest.’”
“It begs the question whether athletes will from now on be incarcerated like criminals and deported when it suits the political interests of powerful individuals,” the statement continued.
Upon learning that he would not be permitted to remain in Melbourne, Djokovic said he is “extremely disappointed with the court ruling to dismiss my application for judicial review of the minister’s decision to cancel my visa, which means I cannot stay in Australia and participate in the Australian Open.”
“I will now be taking some time to rest and to recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this.”
Many spoke out in support of the suffering sportsman, including his family who said they are “very disappointed with the decision of the Federal Court and the fact that Novak has to leave Australia.”
“This was not just about sports and playing in the first grand slam of the season, which Novak has dominated for a decade, but also politics and all the interests that prevailed in this case,” they said.
On the other hand, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison celebrated the deportation, thanking the court for its decision.
The world’s number one tennis player made worldwide headlines as the new year dawned when he revealed through his social media accounts that the Australian Open had granted him an exemption to the COVID-19 jab mandate for participants, marking a reversal of the organizer’s previous statements assuring that no such permissions would be granted.
Not only had tournament organizers Tennis Australia granted an exemption, but he also received an independently assessed exemption from the Australian state of Victoria, where the tournament is to be held.
After the Australian Border Force (ABF) denied Djokovic’s visa upon entry into the country two weeks ago, the Serb won an appeal in the Federal Court Circuit days later, ordering that he be released from mandatory isolation.
Judge Anthony Kelly noted that “rules were not observed” as the ABF revoked the player’s visa, giving them just 30 minutes to heed his order.
However, despite satisfying the strict requirements of both the state and the tournament, and with a court appeal on his side, Australia’s immigration minister Alex Hawke determined that upholding the revocation of Djokovic’s visa was “in the public interest to do so.”
Rather than basing this decision on medical science, Hawke reckoned that “Mr. Djokovic’s ongoing presence in Australia may lead to an increase in anti-vaccination sentiment generated in the Australian community, potentially leading to an increase in civil unrest of the kind previously experienced in Australia with rallies and protests which may themselves be a source of community transmission.”
Djokovic subsequently departed Melbourne on Sunday and now faces being barred from entering Australia for the next three years, throwing his hopes of achieving a record tenth Australian Open victory into uncertainty.
In addition, the player may also face difficulties with the upcoming French Open tournament, set to commence in May, owing to tough new COVID passport restrictions being imposed by the Gallic authorities.
During an interview with the ABF, Djokovic revealed that he has not received one of the abortion-tainted COVID jabs, but that he has contracted and recovered from the novel virus twice.
Part of the measures will include a need to prove one’s COVID jab status to enter premises where people gather, including sporting arenas. The French Sports Ministry announced on Monday that vaccine passports “will apply to everyone who is a spectator or a professional sportsperson. And this until further notice.”
Continuing the ministry said that “[as] far as Roland Garros [the French Open] is concerned, it’s in May. The situation may change between now and then and we hope it’ll be more favourable. So, we’ll see, but clearly there’s no exemption.”