Djokovic whacks media over deportation saga

Novak Djokovic has deed retired astatine the media for what helium says were incorrect reports regarding his infamous deportation from Australia past summer.

Djokovic is backmost connected Australian shores hoping to assertion a 10th Australian Open title, but says helium has not forgotten astir the events of past twelvemonth that caused his marque important "harm".

"I was truly drawn into a tempest successful media worldwide that was related to thing to bash with COVID and the vaccine," helium told 9News Melbourne.

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"All of a abrupt I became the villain of the satellite which is evidently a unspeakable presumption to beryllium successful arsenic an athlete."

Djokovic revealed that helium went into hiding successful Serbia instantly aft his deportation, opening up connected the toll the saga had connected his loved ones.

Novak Djokovic looks arsenic his documents aft landing successful Belgrade, Serbia. (AP)

"There was not a large communicative successful the media astir maine astatine all," helium said.

"I stayed for respective weeks astatine home, didn't truly spell astir excessively much. I conscionable hoped that the concern would calm down, which it did, but the traces stayed there.

"The traces followed for respective months aft and I didn't cognize it was going to impact my crippled and the mode I play. It was not casual for maine mentally to regroup and restart again.

"The traces of what was happening, I could inactive consciousness it. In each property league I was asked astatine slightest 1 oregon 2 questions astir Australia and what happened. Even if I wanted to determination on, radical were reminding maine of that."

Djokovic said helium understood the frustrations of Melburnians who past twelvemonth resented the information that helium had initially received a vaccine exemption to participate the state aft the metropolis had been subjected for galore months to immoderate of the harshest COVID-19 lockdowns successful the world. Djokovic says the facts had been misrepresented.

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"I understood wherefore they were frustrated, but I person to accidental the media presented it successful a wholly incorrect mode due to the fact that that's not what happened, and a batch of radical inactive person the incorrect thought astir what happened," helium said.

"There were 2 oregon 3 much radical that came into Australia 10 days earlier I did with precisely the aforesaid exemption that I had and I was conscionable pursuing the rules.

"My exemption was verified by an autarkic assemblage and sheet of doctors, truthful it was chartless who was giving the request, and I came successful with each the valid papers.

"Everything got retired of manus and past I was labelled arsenic this oregon that. It was truthful large successful the media that I conscionable could not combat that, I didn't adjacent privation to get into that.

"I evidently wanted to enactment present and play tennis, but astatine immoderate constituent with the magnitude of craziness going astir I conscionable wanted to get retired and spell backmost home."

Djokovic is gunning for a 10th Australian Open title. (Getty)

Djokovic claimed that the media had "picked connected maine large time" erstwhile discussing the interaction of the saga connected his wide legacy.

"It's inactive unfortunate and it hurts maine that astir of the radical volition person a incorrect thought astir what happened. That's what hurts maine the most," helium said.

"The media has picked connected maine large clip for respective months and not successful a affirmative note, truthful that has created a batch of disturbance to my marque and to maine personally and radical astir me.

"It is thing that you person to judge and woody with astatine the moment. I wouldn't accidental that it is thing that would destruct oregon destruct everything that I person achieved connected and disconnected the tribunal passim my career.

"It was truthful impactful and it echoed truthful acold astir the satellite that a batch of radical volition inactive speech astir and retrieve it for a agelong clip and it is thing that is going to travel maine for immoderate time."

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