Novak Djokovic calls his Australia visa saga ‘unfortunate’, promises to reveal his version in 10 days

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic described his deportation from Australia as “unfortunate” as he met with Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic to thank him and his countrymen for their support during his 11-day ordeal.

Djokovic’s visa was cancelled after his arrival in Melbourne over lack of evidence for Covid-19 vaccine exemption. He spent a few days in an immigration detention centre but an Australian court quashed the cancellation after the tennis star opted for legal process. However, the Serb was deported eventually from Australia after Immigration Minister Alex Hawke decided to cancel his visa for a second time.

Unvaccinated Djokovic was not able to defend his title at the Australian Open and his arch-rival Rafael Nadal won the men’s singles title.

The top-ranked tennis star met with President Vucic on Thursday and described the events in Australia as “unexpected, to say the least.”

“I wanted to meet with you today because, primarily as a citizen of Serbia, I felt a great need to thank you for great support that you, as the president of Serbia, gave me, as well as all state institutions during the unfortunate events in Australia,” Djokovic said.

“Although I was alone in detention, and faced with many problems and challenges, I wasn’t feeling lonely. I had huge support primarily from my family, all the close people in my life, entire Serbian nation, many people with good intentions from the region and the world.”

Djokovic did not get into the details of his visa ordeal but said promised he would come up his version in the next 10 days.

Djokovic’s meeting with the increasingly autocratic Vucic drew criticism from some of his fans in the Balkan country, where he is generally considered an icon and a hero.

The critics say Vucic used the event to boost his popularity ahead of general elections scheduled for April.

The meeting happened a day after Serbia’s state prosecutors rejected suggestions voiced by some Western media that Djokovic used a fake positive test for COVID-19 to try to enter Australia.

To enter Australia, Djokovic submitted a positive test issued in Serbia on December 16 for a visa exemption on the grounds that he had recently recovered from the virus.

He is not vaccinated, and the Australian government later decided to cancel his visa and deport Djokovic, saying his presence in Australia could stir anti-vaccination sentiments.