Doubles world No. 2 Nikola Mektic slammed fans for disrespecting World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, saying he didn’t deserve that treatment.
Djokovic has been embroiled in controversy throughout his tennis career. The most recent one came at the Australian Open, where his anti-vax status got him into trouble with the authorities and in hot water with the fans.
The situation ended with the Serbian getting deported from the country after a tiresome legal battle. He was also hit with a ban from travelling to Australia, meaning he won’t be able to play at next year’s Australian Open barring a miracle.
However, Mektic slammed fans for disrespecting Djokovic, saying he didn’t need that reaction from fans.
As quoted by Tennis World USA, Mektic said, “A player of Djokovic’s stature didn’t deserve to be disrespected in that manner.
“He is a great ambassador for the sport and the ones criticising him should realise his importance to the game.
His side of the story
Djokovic is now set to address the entire Australian fiasco, and stated that he would do so at the earliest.
“Today I wanted to see you, as a citizen of Serbia, to thank you for your support, as well as all the institutions during the unfortunate events in Australia,” he said.
“Although I was detained alone, I did not feel lonely, I had the support of my family, friends, the entire Serbian people, many well-meaning people from all over the world tried personally and publicly to make my time in Australia easier.
“You had no obligation to provide support, but I want you to know that I feel great gratitude that you stood up for me, put yourself in a compromising situation. That is appreciated and respected, I will remember it for a long time and my connection and my attitude towards the Serbian people is getting stronger day by day.
“Those circumstances that happened to me in Australia taught me and that bond will last forever. Since I did not speak before, please be patient, in the next seven to ten days I will address in more detail everything that happened in Australia,” he concluded.