Australia cancels Djokovic's visa to enter the country 1:17
(CNN) -
Novak Djokovic is being "treated like a prisoner" by Australian authorities, his mother, Dijana Djokovic, told reporters Thursday during a press conference in Belgrade.
Djokovic, the world's No. 1 tennis player, is believed to have been transferred to the Park Hotel in Melbourne after his visa to enter the country was canceled prior to the Australian Open, according to CNN affiliates Seven Network and Nine News.
The hotel was previously used by the Australian government as a COVID-19 quarantine facility.
And now the place is an alternative detention site for refugees and asylum seekers.
Djokovic's mother said she had spoken briefly with her son on Thursday, adding that he told her he couldn't sleep.
“I feel terrible since yesterday, in the last 24 hours that they have taken him as a prisoner.
It just isn't fair.
He's not human, ”Dijana said.
He added that the tennis player's current accommodation is "terrible."
He even described it as "just a small immigration hotel."
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"It's so dirty and the food is so awful," he insisted.
"[The authorities] do not want to give him any opportunity to move to a better hotel or a house that he has already rented," he continued.
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"They took all his belongings from him," says Djokovic's family
The Serbian tennis player's family also assures that the Australian authorities took all his belongings from him, after revoking his visa to enter the country on Wednesday.
The tennis player's brother, Drodje Djokovic, said during a press conference from Belgrade that the athlete "has not violated a single rule or law of the Australian Federal Government."
Djokovic's brother claimed that other tennis players had the "same document", but "he is the only one detained at the border and he was denied entry."
He then described the Australian authorities' treatment of his brother as a "serious diplomatic breakdown".
He also recounted how communication between the athlete and his family was abruptly cut off.
"In the first 45 minutes, I think, he was communicating with the family and the team, and that stopped abruptly. He had no contact, since his phone had been taken from him for three and a half hours," he said.
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Djokovic was eventually given his phone back and taken to another isolation room, he added.
After his visa was revoked, the tennis player went through the Melbourne airport metal detectors and all his belongings and suitcases were taken from him, according to his brother.
"They took his wallet and his change of clothes. They took him to the migrant hotel, to a dirty room and told him that all his belongings would be returned to him on his departure to Europe."
The latest update Djokovic's family received stated that if the tennis player returns to Europe immediately, he will be banned from Australia for three years.
"The court's response to Novak's complaint was that the Australian authorities should not deport him before Monday," added his brother.
The family believes the tennis player wishes to stay in Australia and "seek justice" after "being treated like a criminal," his brother continued.
His lawyers continue to work on the case to "set him free as he deserves," his brother stressed.
Novak Djokovic's medical exemption to play at the Australian Open generates rejection
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Novak Djokovic is the first tennis player of the open era (that is, since 1968) to win at least twice each of the Grand Slam.
Here we present you the first and last time he won them.
(Photo: Twitter @rolandgarros)
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On January 27, 2008, Novak Djokovic won the first Grand Slam of his career: the Australian Open.
His victory was against the French Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney / Getty Images).
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On February 21 of this year, Djokovic started on the right foot his way through the 2021 Grand Slam, this by winning the Australian Open against Russian Daniil Medvedev.
(Photo by Matt King / Getty Images)
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Djokovic has won Roland Garros twice in his career.
The first was on June 5, 2016 against the British Andy Murray.
In the picture, the Serbian holds his trophy that day.
(Photo by Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
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The second Roland Garros trophy arrived for Djokovic this Sunday, June 13.
The Serbian beat the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipás.
With this, Novak takes two of the four Grand Slam in 2021. Winning them all in a single year has not been achieved by Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.
(Photo: Twitter @rolandgarros)
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The first Wimbledon trophy of Djokovic's career came on July 3, 2011 when he beat one of his biggest rivals, Spain's Rafael Nadal.
(Photo by Julian Finney / Getty Images)
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The Serbian won his last Wimbledon against the Swiss Roger Federer on July 14, 2019. In fact, Djokovic is the current champion of this tournament because in 2020 it was not played due to the covid-19 pandemic.
(DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP via Getty Images)
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On September 12, 2011, Djokovic won his first US Open against Rafael Nadal.
That year, he only needed Roland Garros to complete Grand Slam poker.
(Photo by Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
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The last time Novak Djokovic won the United States Open was on September 9, 2018, after beating Argentine Juan Martín del Potro in the final.
(Photo by Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
The controversy around Djokovic and his vaccine
Djokovic has not publicly disclosed his vaccination status.
But at a press conference Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the 34-year-old "did not have a medical exemption in place" for the vaccination requirement for people entering the country.
According to Our World In Data, 46.76% of the Serbian population has been fully vaccinated against covid-19.
Djokovic's legal team requested an urgent court order against the Australian Border Forces decision to revoke his visa.
The country's Federal Court postponed until Monday a decision on whether he will be allowed to stay in Australia or be deported, according to Reuters and the public broadcaster ABC.
He will stay in Australia while the courts review the injunction, ABC reported.
Djokovic hopes to win his 10th Australian Open title and 21st Grand Slam title this month.
The tournament begins on January 17th and ends on January 30th.
- AnneClaire Stapleton, Jessie Yeung and Niamh Kennedy on CNN's Dublin contributed to this report. Additional information from Reuters.
Novak Djokovic