It’s difficult to take Novak Djokovic seriously when his family act like dills. The remarks of his father, mother and brother are absurd and do him no favours.
To call their own press conference highlights a ridiculous sense of self-importance in a clan that merely happens to have a member who can hit a decent tennis ball. They harm Novak’s reputation every time they open their mouths.
His father, Srdjan, has become a cartoonish figure. To use the vernacular, he appears deadset bonkers. He wants Queen Elizabeth to ensure his son plays the Australian Open.
Are we meant to take that seriously? How was that remark not greeted by uproarious laughter?
He’s made so many foolish comments – Djokovic is Jesus, Spartacus, leader of the free world – that an otherwise serious issue starts to feel like a joke. His commentary during this sorry yet strangely spectacular saga is perpetuating the idea that all things Djokovic are too loony to be bothered with. Dad needs to put a sock in it, for the sake of his son.
Its like something out of The Royal Tenenbaums. But that was meant to be a comedy. “He‘s not in detention, he’s in prison,” Srdjan said on day one. “Our pride is a prisoner of these idiots. Shame on them. The whole free world together with Serbia should rise. This isn’t a battle for Serbia and Novak. It’s a battle for billions of people, for freedom of expression, for free speech, freedom of behaviour. Novak didn’t break any laws, just as seven billion people didn’t break any laws. They want to subdue us and for us all to be on our knees.”
No really. We just wanted him to be double-vaxxed.
And this: “The leader of that faraway land, Scott Morrison … dared to attack Novak and expel him before he had reached their country. They had wanted to throw him to his knees, and not just him, but our beautiful Serbia. They’re keeping him in captivity. They are trampling over Serbia and by doing that, they are trampling on the Serbian people. This has nothing to do with sports, this is a political agenda. Novak is the best player and the best athlete in the world, but several hundred million people from the West can’t stomach that.”
I know what I can’t stomach. Srdjan’s press conferences. He’s said: “Tonight Novak is in Australian captivity, but he has never been freer. From that moment on, Novak is already a symbol and leader of the free world, the world of poor and unjust countries and peoples. Tonight they can put him in prison. Tomorrow he may be chained, but the truth is like water and he always finds his way.”
The Park Hotel doesn’t sound like the flashest joint in town. But I don’t think Novak was in chains. I felt sympathy after his eight hours of questioning at Tullamarine airport, four nights in immigration detention and an eight-hour Federal Circuit Court case. Most of the sympathy was wiped away by Srdjan’s latest round of gibberish for the cameras in the Tenenbaum – sorry, Djokovic – family restaurant in Belgrade.
He said: “I call on all Australians and the whole world to raise their voice against terror and the brutal human rights violations of the world’s best tennis player … Novak is treated by the Australian government as an enemy of the state, not the best tennis player in the world who has always helped Australia with his donations in philanthropy. He is treated by ethnic racists as a lower-class citizen … Jesus was crucified and endured many things, but is still alive among us. Novak is also crucified … He will endure.”
To use the vernacular, come off it. He calls Prime Minister Scott Morrison a “dictator,” an interesting tactic when hoping for government leniency towards an unvaccinated traveller. He goes on: “The truth has come to light. Australia is run by political criminals who do not respect individual rights or court decisions. They do not respect the decisions of their court, they do not respect their legal system. As of today, Australia is a banana republic and my son took the cross to go down in history as Spartacus standing on the last line of defence of freedom. I call on all non-governmental organisations around the world and all people of good will who believe in justice and democracy, as well as the Queen of Great Britain, to get involved and protect Novak Djokovic from the torture against him.”
Spartacus took the cross? I thought that was Jesus. So, Jesus was in the uprising against Roman slavery? Srdjan, you’re confusing me. At the time of writing, Buckingham Palace is yet to intervene. And there’s still an elephant in the room the size of Srdjan’s ego. After those eight hours of questioning at Tullamarine, four nights in detention and the eight-hour court hearing, we still have no answer to the most bleeding obvious question of all. If Novak was diagnosed with Covid on December 16, why was he living the life of Riley in the days after it? Shaking hands with fans, attending functions, hugging kids, all while he says he had Covid. The answer to that riddle is what Srdjan needs to shout into his loudspeaker. Because I don’t think Jesus would have tested positive to a life-threatening virus and then gone out and spread his germs. Nor Spartacus.
When Djokovic tested positive to Covid in 2020, he released a statement that read: “The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive.” After the positive test result he says he received on December 16, however, he made no mention of it. Instead, he posted a photo of himself at a function for the Serbian postal service before doing photo shoots and photographs for a French newspaper and giving trophies to junior players at his academy the following week. It seems difficult to explain. Which is perhaps why no-one has explained it.
The Djokovic family went awfully quiet when the issue was raised at the Belgrade press conference. A reporter asked, so, Novak received a positive test result on December 16? The answer was yes. Another reporter asked, then why was he out and about on December 17? His brother, Djordje, said, ‘OK, so this press conference is adjourned.”
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