In his first public comments since he arrived home in Serbia, men's tennis world number one Novak Djokovic says he will soon tell his "version of the story" of his deportation from Australia last month.
Djokovic, who was unvaccinated, was unable to defend his Australian Open title after an 11-day drama that saw his visa revoked, twice, because he did not meet Australia's COVID-19 entry requirements, despite being told by Tennis Australia he could play the tournament on a medical exemption.
Since arriving home in the capital, Belgrade, two weeks ago, Djokovic has made several visits to churches and hit the practice court but a meeting on Thursday with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić saw Djokovic speak publicly for the first time about his treatment in Australia.
Djokovic thanked the President and all state institutions for their support "during the unfortunate events in Australia".
"I had huge support, primarily from my family, all of the close people in my life, [the] entire Serbian nation, many people with good intentions from the region and the world."
He did not go into details about his treatment in Australia, but urged fans to "be patient" and said that he would make an address to the media in the coming days.
"I haven't spoken in public in regards to the events that happened in Australia, and this is the first time that I have come out in public," he said.
He also reserved a special personal thanks for Mr Vučić, who had been steadfast in his support for Djokovic, even directing a question to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison as to why the tennis star had been "harassed".
"You have stood behind me and placed yourself in a compromised political position in international relations, and I am … extremely grateful," Djokovic said to Mr Vučić.
"I will remember that."
Mr Vučić — who is bidding for re-election in April — said he spoke to Djokovic as soon as he heard about the problems in Australia and told him to come home.
"Thank you for the great fight you fought in Australia," he told Djokovic.
"And then I saw how … he was ready to fight not only for himself, but for his country."
The meeting has drawn criticism from some fans in Serbia, who said Mr Vučić used the event to boost his popularity ahead of the elections.
Officials deny test results were faked
The meeting comes a day after Serbia's state prosecutors rejected reports that Djokovic used a fake positive test for COVID-19 to try to enter Australia under a medical exemption.
In a statement on Wednesday, local time, the prosecution office said that it had received a request for criminal proceedings against unnamed individuals who allegedly forged two PCR certificates, which were later used by Djokovic to apply for an exemption from vaccination when entering Australia.
"The prosecution acted according to the regulations, checks were performed, and it was determined that Novak Djokovic was tested several times and that the certificates on the test results from December 16, 2021, and December 22, 2021, are valid," the statement said.
Foreign media, including Der Spiegel and the BBC, had reported discrepancies in the serial numbers of the tests Serbian authorities administered for the top-ranked Djokovic ahead of his trip to Australia, suggesting possible irregularities in the way they were issued.
Senior Serbian health officials have previously said that Djokovic's tests were valid.
The 34-year-old player is not vaccinated and the Australian government later decided to cancel his visa and deport Djokovic, saying his presence in Australia could encourage anti-vaccination sentiments.
Djokovic's rival, Rafael Nadal, won the Australian Open for a record 21st men's grand slam title, leaving the Serb and his other big rival, Roger Federer, both trailing on 20 major wins.
ABC/wires
