In a filing filed in federal court seeking cancellation of his entry visa, his lawyers stated that “the date of the first positive COVID PCR test recorded was 16 December 2021”.
The Belgrade Tennis Federation said in a Facebook post after the December 17 ceremony that Djokovic presented cups and awards to the best young players in 2021.
The federation’s statement said only prize winners attended the event, held at the Novak Tennis Center in the Serbian capital, “due to epidemiological measures related to the coronavirus pandemic”.
It was accompanied by several photographs of Djokovic posing with federation officials and some 20 young players.
No one was wearing a mask.
Federation chief at the ceremony milan slavkovic The statement said that Djokovic was presented with a conservative icon for “everything he has done for tennis and the sport in general, for all the achievements and generosity he is doing every day around the world”.
The incident was widely reported in the Serbian media.
Djokovic attended another meeting on 16 December, when Serbia The National Postal Service honored him by introducing a series of stamps depicting him and his sporting achievements.
He published a photo from the ceremony on Instagram on 17 December.
Australian border agents tore Djokovic’s entry visa for failing to meet the country’s tough COVID-19 vaccine requirements when he landed in Melbourne on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old Serb, an outspoken vaccine skeptic, was held in a detention center in Melbourne.
His detention has fueled anger and accusations of racism in his native Serbia, where the president has sparked a “political witch hunt” and the country’s religious leader has called on the nation to pray for his favorite son.
Hundreds of people rallied in Belgrade in support of the tennis star for two days in a row, which was set to be a new protest on Saturday.
Meanwhile his brother said that Djokovic could have gone Australia So far but haven’t done so so as not to “partly admit to a crime that doesn’t exist at all”.
Djokovic’s appeal will be heard in court on Monday.
His brother Jordje Djokovic told Croatian RTL television late Friday: “I am confident that the court will bring a just verdict … because Novak did nothing to behave like a criminal.”
Asked whether the world number one would still play in the tournament if the court ruled in his favour, he said the player was not aware of it yet.
“He is full of emotions at the moment… Tennis and the Grand Slam are the last things on his mind at the moment.
The brother said, “The only thing he wants is justice to be done and the truth to come out.”
Prime Minister Ana Brnabic assured that Serbia is doing everything possible to ease the situation for the player and said it has had “constructive talks” with Australian Foreign Minister Maris Payne on the issue.
In an interview with Pink Television, he said, “We are fighting… the whole thing is very emotional.”
He will remain in an immigration detention center until the court decides, she said.
“We managed that she gets a gluten-free diet, exercise equipment, a laptop”.
But Parliamentary Speaker Ivica Dacic accused the Australian authorities of “politicizing” the issue.
“Hundreds of people get different exemptions”, he told RTS state-run television.
“Novak is already a winner … it’s way to prevent him from becoming the best tennis player in history”, said Dacic.
His lawyers said Djokovic has also requested to be moved to a facility where he can train for the Australian Open.
Foreigners are still mostly banned from traveling to Australia, and those admitted must be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption.
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