‘Serbia will fight’: President lashes out as Australia blasted over Djokovic scandal

Sunrise host Edwina Bartholomew has weighed in on the Novak Djokovic situation, taking a brutal swipe at the tennis star.

Sports broadcaster Tony Jones, who is filling in as 3AW Mornings host, says Australia is “on the verge of becoming an international joke” for its treatment of Novak Djokovic.

Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew has weighed in on the Novak Djokovic situation, taking a brutal swipe at the tennis star after his visa was sensationally cancelled. 

The world number one touched down on an Emirates flight from Dubai shortly after 11pm Wednesday night amid a furore over how he’d been granted an “exemption permission” to play the tennis grand slam despite being unvaccinated against Covid-19.

Upon landing in Melbourne, a federal government source told The Age there were issues regarding the documentation required to prove the reason for Djokovic’s exemption, which is required from unvaccinated people.

The tennis star’s visa was then ultimately cancelled, and he has been told to leave the country today – but reports suggest he may challenge the call in Victoria’s courts.

Bartholomew, who previously criticised the decision to grant Djokovic an exemption in the first place, mocked the champion on Twitter, like many other Aussies referencing 7’s Border Security.

“I look forward to the video for Border Force,” she wrote.

The decision to bring Djokovic over – only to turn him away 36 hours later – has been slammed by people around the world, labelling the situation a “farce” and Australia a laughing stock.

The decision to hold Novak Djokovic “captive” at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport overnight and then cancel his visa has been slammed by Serbian officials and media.

Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia. Picture: Hannah McKay – Pool/Getty Images

‘Serbia will fight’: President lashes Australia

Serbian President Aleksander Vucic came out swinging at the news, vowing his nation “will fight” the “maltreatment” of the tennis star.

“Just got off the phone with Novak. I told our Novak that the whole of Serbia is with him, and that our authorities are taking all measures to stop the harassment of the best tennis player in the world in the shortest possible period,” Vucic said in an update on Instagram, having called Djokovic while he was at Tullamarine Airport.

“In accordance with all the norms of international public law, Serbia will fight for Novak Djokovic, for justice and truth. Otherwise, Novak is strong, as we all know him.”

However, not even intervention from the top levels of the Serbian government could save the country’s favourite athlete.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison later confirmed the nation had “made representations to Canberra” in regards to the matter.

“I understand those, but my simple point is that all countries have their border rules and these rules are not imposed against any one country or any one individual,” he told reporters today.

“There is no suggestion of any particular position in relation to Serbia. In fact, Serbia has been a good friend of Australia and provided very strong support … This is a very specific case that deals with one individual and Australia’s sovereign border laws and their fair application.”

The Times tennis correspondent Stuart Fraser tweeted that Mr Vucic’s involvement showed the situation had escalated “into a diplomatic row”, deeming the call to cancel Djokovic’s visa “a truly astonishing development”.

“You cannot over-estimate the ramifications of this decision, which will play out in the coming days, weeks and months,” Fraser wrote.

Prior to his visa cancellation, Djokovic’s father, Srdjan, released an explosive statement to Serbian media.

“I have no idea what’s going on, they’re holding my son captive for five hours,” he said.

“This is not a fight for the libertarian world, this is not just a fight for Novak, but a fight for the whole world!

“If they don’t let him go in half an hour, we will gather on the street, this is a fight for everybody.”

Upon learning that his son would be deported, Srdjan wrote on Instagram that Serbians “should all welcome him as deserved!”

Latest statement from Srdjan Djokovic to Sputnik Serbia (translated via google) :- pic.twitter.com/MFDDw7Tbf7

— Adam_Addicott (@AdamAddicott) January 5, 2022

This really is escalating into a diplomatic row now. The Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic has spoken with Djokovic over the telephone and said that "Serbia is doing everything to see that the harassment of Novak Djokovic is brought to an end immediately".

— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) January 5, 2022

Honestly, no one comes out of this looking good. Farcical situation all around.

— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) January 5, 2022

You follow the rules set by the authorities of the country. You fly across the world to then be told by the same people who approved your application that you can’t enter, while being isolated in a room. That’s not the way to treat anybody. Public humiliation. #Djokovic

— SaÅ¡a Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) January 5, 2022

‘Australia doesn’t deserve to host a grand slam’

But Serbians weren’t the only ones incensed by the decision – with many calling the remarkable rejection just the latest humiliating move in Australia’s Covid response.

“Just another embarrassing omnishambles around the handling of Covid by all governments,” cricket writer Malcolm Conn tweeted.

“Australia an international laughing stock. This should have been sorted ages ago one way or the other. Watch the blame game crank up again.”

“Just to be crystal clear here, two separate medical boards approved his exemption,” two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist and fellow anti-vaxxer Tennys Sandgren wrote.

“And politicians are stopping it. Australia doesn’t deserve to host a grand slam.”

When next time somebody will tell you “ Sports is not interfering with politics” you remember the 6Jan2022 when purely political “ego”is not allowing best tennis player in the world to enter the country to which they “ governmental institutions” granted entry..🤦🏻‍♂️ @DjokerNole ✊🏻

— Sergiy Stakhovsky (@Stako_tennis) January 5, 2022

Just to be crystal clear here

2 separate medical boards approved his exemption

And politicians are stopping it

Australia doesn’t deserve to host a grand slam https://t.co/3B6lt4u9Mq

— Tennys Sandgren (@TennysSandgren) January 5, 2022

“Is there an Australian politician who hasn’t yet used the #Djokovic situation to score some cheap political points?” wrote Sport Klub journo Sasa Ozmo, who has a close relationship with Djokovic.

In a separate tweet, he described Australia’s treatment of Djokovic as “public humiliation”.

“You follow the rules set by the authorities of the country. You fly across the world to then be told by the same people who approved your application that you can’t enter, while being isolated in a room. That’s not the way to treat anybody. Public humiliation.”

Meanwhile sports broadcaster Tony Jones warned that Australia is “on the verge of becoming an international joke”.

“We are on the verge of becoming an international joke. We look like hicksville at the moment,” Jones, who is filling in as host on 3AWMornings with Neil Mitchell, said.

“I don’t think he should be here, but given that the exemption was ticked off by [authorities], why now? Why the about-face?

“It will go to the courts. It’s going to be a long, drawn out saga … This is an absolute dog’s breakfast.”

“Honestly, no one comes out of this looking good. Farcical situation all around,” added Egyptian sports journalist Reem Abulleil.

A source close to Tennis Australia told The Age that it appeared federal officials had blocked Djokovic’s path to avoid the potentially unpopular appearance of allowing him into the country with a medical exemption.

“I don’t know how the feds will [address the fact that] several tennis players are already in the country with the same exemption granted to Novak,” the source said.

“This looks to us like the feds are responding to the media by letting some players in but not the World No 1.”

‘Rules are rules’: PM’s blunt message to Djoker

While Mr Morrison had been unwilling to become involved in the situation – repeatedly saying it was a matter for the Victorian government – he also weighed in on the news this morning, tweeting: “Rules are rules”.

“Especially when it comes to our borders. No one is above these rules,” the Prime Minister added.

“Our strong border policies have been critical to Australia having one of the lowest death rates in the world from Covid, we are continuing to be vigilant.”

Others also didn’t think it fair for Australia to shoulder the blame – saying the responsibility lay solely with Djokovic.

I believe it’s called ‘controlling your border’, Nigel…. https://t.co/XRVvUC1XN2

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 5, 2022

“Whatever happens as this unfolds here, this is completely Novak Djokovic’s fault for not getting the vaccine in the first place, which he had *months* to do,” New York Times tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg wrote on Twitter.

“Best case scenario for everyone would have been a vaxxed Novak playing the #AusOpen with no drama. He chose against that.”

Meanwhile, outspoken media personality Piers Morgan has served a smackdown to right-wing UK politician Nigel Farage, who suggested Australia was a “banana republic” for not allowing the world number one in.

Mr Farage – one of the key forces behind Brexit and has made a career out of criticising ‘weak immigration policies – was ’slapped down by Morgan.

“”I believe it’s called ‘controlling your border’, Nigel….” he told Farage on Twitter.

-with James Matthey