Novak Djokovic is having a forgettable season thus far. The 34-year-old was embroiled in a visa controversy ever since he set his footing Down Under to defend his Australian Open title. He had received a vaccine exemption to participate in the opening Grand Slam of the season. However, his visa was canceled, and he was subsequently detained on arriving at the Melbourne airport.

Further, the Serb decided to challenge his deportation in the Federal Court of Australia. Although judge Anthony Kelly ruled in his favor, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercised his powers to revoke Djokovic’s visa.

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Finally, a day before the commencement of the Australian Open, the 20-time Grand Slam champion lost the appeal and decided to return to his hometown. The 34-year-old was warmly received on his return to Serbia.

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Novak Djokovic thanks Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic for his support

The tennis superstar was warmly received by Aleksandar Vucic at the General Secretariat of the Presidency in Belgrade. Djokovic was all praise for Vucic as the latter constantly backed World Number 1 throughout his ordeal in Australia.

Speaking before the press, Djokovic said, “You, as the President of Serbia, and the state of Serbia in general, had no obligation to provide me with the support you provided, nor was that a given. But I want you to know that I feel enormous gratitude that you supported and stood behind me.”

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Further, he added, “And probably, as we already spoke about it, you put yourself in a compromising political position in the form of international political relations. That is why I am extremely grateful, and as I said, it is not a given, so it is appreciated and respected, and I as a person, as a citizen of Serbia, and as an athlete, will remember it for a long time.”

On his relationship with the people of Serbia, Djokovic said, “And of course, my connection and my relationship with the Serbian people is stronger day by day. These circumstances that befell me in Australia have shown that this relationship will be like this forever, and I truly thank everyone.”

The Serbian President had criticized the authorities for their handling of this saga. He had said that the court ruling was ‘a farce’. Further, he had told Djokovic to return to Serbia, where he will always be welcomed.

The tennis fraternity is waiting with bated breath to see how Novak Djokovic’s 2022 will shape out from here on. He will be in hot pursuit of  Rafael Nadal now that Rafa is leading the Grand Slam race with 21 chips to his name. Nole will certainly be looking to put the AO 2022 incident behind him and get back into competitive shape.