World
No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic on Friday thanked the Serbian President
Aleksandar Vucic for his support during his legal battle in Australia over
participation in the Australia Open. Djokovic met the president on Thursday.

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Djokovic’s
visa was cancelled by Australia’s federal court, and he was deported to Dubai for
failing to meet Australia’s strict vaccination rules. 

While
thanking the president the tennis star said that he “never felt alone” while in
detention in Melbourne due to the support from his fans around the world.

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Serbian
government also slammed Australia over the claims that Djokovic submitted false
COVID-19 test results.

“I
am very grateful for your acts that also put you in a troubling political
position in international relations. I will remember that for a long
time,” Djokovic told President Vucic on Thursday.

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Vucic,
in response, said he saw how Djokovic was willing to fight both for himself and the nation. “He not only fought for himself, but for his country also.
Thank you for the great fight you fought in Australia,” he told the tennis
player.

Djokovic vows to produce his ‘version’ within 10 days

The
20-time Grand Slam title winning tennis player said his bond with Serbians are
getting stronger and he is determined to produce his “version of what
happened in Australia” within the next 10 days.

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Djokovic,
who was not vaccinated, was given a medical exemption by Tennis Australia after
getting approval from the Victoria government but as he landed at Melbourne
airport, the Australian border force detained him on January 5 and took him to
the detention centre. He was initially allowed to train but later lost the
battle in the federal court.

Meanwhile,
Djokovic’s meeting with the autocratic Vucic drew ire from some of his fans in
the Balkan country, where he is generally considered an icon and a hero. The
critics said Vucic used the event to boost his popularity ahead of general
elections scheduled for April.

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The
meeting happened a day after Serbia’s state prosecutors rejected suggestions
voiced by some Western media that Djokovic used a fake positive test for
COVID-19 to try to enter Australia.