Novak Djokovic – the reactions to the verdict: “You simply lied”

“In the pointless trial, you could see how much the prosecution is lying. You simply lied,” complained the politician.

However, the ATP mainly reacted to the sporting component of the verdict. Djokovic’s “absence from the Australian Open is a loss to the game,” the professional tennis organization said.

Three-time Australian Open champion Mats Wilander, meanwhile, gave the 34-year-old his “appreciation” for trying to find a way to start.

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios kept it short, only tweeting an emoji suggesting he was critical of the course of events.

The reactions to the verdict in the Djokovic case:

Boris Becker (Australian Open winner 1991 and 1996): “Governments are always bigger than individuals. Like everyone else, I was a little surprised that the court ruled in Novak’s favor on Monday. But the government has the last word. From my point of view, there is no winner in this matter. Novak certainly pays the highest price – but Tennis Australia, the state of Victoria and Australia have not done well.”

Aleksandar Vucic (President of Serbia): “I told Novak that I can’t wait for him to come back to Serbia, to his country, where he is always welcome. It’s unacceptable to treat the best tennis player like that for ten, eleven days and then on the the eleventh day the same decision as on the first day. In the pointless trial you could see how much the prosecution is lying. They simply lied. They say that there are less than 50 percent vaccinated people in Serbia, but there are officially 58 percent. That’s more than in many other European countries. That was a pointless argument. They think they humiliated Djokovic, but they only humiliated themselves. He can go back to his country and hold his head up in everyone’s eyes see.”

Patrick Mouratoglou (Coach Serena Williams): “The big loser in this mess is the tournament. The only good news is that hopefully we can now start talking about tennis.”

Mats Wilander (seven-time Grand Slam tournament winner and Eurosport expert): “I’m surprised by the verdict, shocked and a bit exhausted by the matter. Novak must be feeling pretty bad after this time here. He gets my credit for trying. He did everything that was possible. But he knew the rules and they say that only vaccinated professionals are allowed to participate. I think the court’s decision is fair. Millions of people have died worldwide and Australia has had a full lockdown for a long time. The country has suffered a lot.

Srdjan Djokovic (Vater Novak Djokovic): “The assassination attempt on the best athlete in the world is over, 50 bullets in Novak’s chest.”

Serhiy Stakhovsky (Tennisprofi): “A very sad day in the history of tennis. It’s a shame to target someone for their views that differ from the others.”

Vasek Pospisil (Tennisprofi): “Novak would never have gone to Australia if he hadn’t received an exemption from the government to enter the country. He would have skipped the Australian Open, stayed at home with his family – and nobody would be talking about this whole mess now.”

ATP (professional organization in men’s tennis): “Regardless of how this point was reached, Novak is one of the greatest champions of our sport and his absence from the Australian Open is a loss for the game. We know how turbulent the last few days have been for Novak and how much he loves his title wanted to defend in Melbourne. We wish him the best and look forward to seeing him back on the pitch soon.”

Barbara Schett (ex-professional and Eurosport expert): “It was a bit of a relief for the Australian people. Most people were in favor of him leaving the country and now agree with the decision. Many players also agree that Djokovic shouldn’t have been allowed in. But there is also agreement that the whole thing has dragged on for too long and that a quicker decision should have been made.”

Scott Morrison (Prime Minister of Australia): “I applaud the decision to keep our borders strong and Australians safe. As I said back on Friday, the people of Australia have made many sacrifices during the pandemic and expect the outcomes of those sacrifices to be protected.”

Podcast Das Gelbe vom Ball – Becker looks ahead to the Australian Open