Novak Djokovic denies wrongdoing in 2022 deportation saga

Novak Djokovic has opened up on the pain of his 2022 deportation saga, insisting he was only “following the rules”.

Novak Djokovic has claimed he did nothing wrong to deserve his deportation from the 2022 Australian Open, claiming he was “just following the rules”.

After he was deported last year, the Serbian star is the favourite to win the Australian Open which would be a record extending 10th title at Melbourne Park.

But while he’s admitted he’s trying to move on from the drama last season, he claimed people still had a wrong idea of what happened in the saga.

As far as the world knows, Djokovic is still unvaccinated for Covid-19 and has been strong in his opposition to the jab.

But when he tried to enter Australia hours after touting an “exemption permission” on Instagram, Djokovic’s visa was cancelled.

Then Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed Djokovic never had an exemption in the first place which was the beginning of the long ordeal.

Djokovic won a court case which overturned his visa cancellation but then Immigration Minister Alex Hawke cancelled his visa “on health and good order grounds”.

Novak is back at the Aussie Open. Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP

The Serbian then claimed he was singled out after others were able to enter the country.

“(There were) two or three more people that came into Australia 10 days before I did with exactly the same exemption that I had,” Djokovic said in an interview on Channel 9.

“I was just following the rules. My exemption was verified by an independent body and panel of doctors.

“I came in with all the valid papers. Everything got out of hand and then I was labelled this or that.

“All of a sudden, I became the villain of the world which was obviously a terrible position to be in as an athlete and someone who is looking to thrive in its own direction of life and profession.

“And it (the saga) was so big in the media that I could not fight that, and I didn’t want to get into that.

“(With) the amount of pressure and craziness going around, I just wanted to go out and go back home.”

Czech doubles player Renata Voracova participated in an event after arriving in Australia but was deported after her visa was cancelled over her vaccination status.

Another person was reported to be an official connected with the tournament, who was also deported.

Djoker already won the Adelaide International last week. Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images

Djokovic said he didn’t hold any grudges against the Australian people and that he stayed out of the spotlight when he arrived home.

“(There was) a not great narrative in the media about me at all, and I just stayed for several weeks at home,” he said.

“I didn’t really go around too much, I just hoped that the situation could calm down, which it did.

“But the traces stay there. The traces followed for several months after.”

Djokovic had a largely warm reception at the Adelaide International with Daniil Medvedev mocking his hamstring injury seemingly the biggest backlash he faced from packed stadiums.

However Australian Open boss Craig Tiley has warned rowdy fans they’ll be kicked out if they make Djokovic a target.

Djokovic’s hamstring injury may be worse than first thought as well, as he received treatment during a practice match against Medvedev.