Serbia requests that Australia cease treating Novak Djokovic as a ‘criminal’ due to the vaccine exemption scandal

Serbia’s foreign minister, Nemanja Starovic, has urged that Australia relocate world number one Novak Djokovic to a nicer hotel, while the defending Australian Open champion remains detained after his visa was revoked.

This demand came after Acting Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan revealed that Tennis Australia failed to notify her government about Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government letters stating that a prior COVID infection – the basis for Djokovic’s COVID-19 exemption – would not be accepted as a genuine exemption.

“We expect the ambassador to personally take action to have him relocated to housing befitting a world-class athlete, not a felon or an illegal immigrant,” Starovic said in a statement, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Starovic has also stated that the Serbian public believes Djokovic is a victim of Australian political games.

Djokovic won his court bid on Thursday, which meant he wouldn’t be deported right away, allowing him to stay in Melbourne until at least Monday.

Djokovic had chosen to take legal action against Australia for cancelling his visa. After spending eight hours in detention at Melbourne Airport, where he unsuccessfully pled his case to border officials, he decided to battle it out.

Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt revealed on Thursday that world number one Novak Djokovic’s visa to visit the country has been revoked. Djokovic had arrived in Australia earlier, claiming a medical exemption to compete in the Australian Open. The vaccine exemption stated by Djokovic sparked a firestorm of controversy, and the Australian public reacted angrily.

On Thursday, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that Djokovic is not an outlier and that he will be subjected to the same regulations as everyone else.