"Nobody deserves to be treated like this" -Twitter reacts to Novak Djokovic's deportation
Novak Djokovic is set to be deported from Australia after the Federal Court upheld Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's decision to cancel his visa. The World No. 1 has announced that he does not intend to challenge the court's decision but was "extremely disappointed" with the ruling.
As things stand, the nine-time champion will not be given a chance to defend his crown at the Happy Slam. He has already been replaced by lucky loser Salvatore Caruso in the main draw.
Naturally, the news sent shockwaves through the tennis community on Twitter, with some celebrating and others seething with rage.
Alize Cornet, Nick Kyrgios, and Vasek Pospisil are some of the tennis players who voiced their support for the World No. 1. Reilly Opelka reminded fans how Djokovic is, above all, a well-meaning individual.
Some fans took this opportune moment to make some hilarious memes on the subject.
Here are some of the most interesting responses -- good, bad, and ugly -- to the news of the Serb's impending deportation.
Reactions from Novak Djokovic's fellow tennis pros and coaches
Alize Cornet was one of the first players to voice their support for Novak Djokovic.
While admitting her lack of knowledge about the entire visa saga, Cornet pointed out how none of World No. 1's peers stood up for him despite all he has done for his colleagues.
I know too little to judge the situation.
What I know is that Novak is always the first one to stand for the players. But none of us stood for him.
Be strong @DjokerNole
Djokovic's good friend and PTPA colleague Vasek Pospisil argued that the Serb's deportation was a political conspiracy. The Canadian, however, misrepresented the facts in his tweet. Judge Kelly's ruling was entirely based on procedural fairness and not on the minutes of the case itself.
Novak would never have gone to Australia if he had not been given an exemption to enter the country by the government (which he did receive; hence Judge Kelly’s initial ruling). He would have skipped the Australian Open and been home with his family and no one would be.. [1/2]
.. talking about this mess. There was a political agenda at play here with the elections coming up which couldn’t be more obvious. This is not his fault. He did not force his way into the country and did not “make his own rules”; he was ready to stay home. [2/2]
Nick Kyrgios also expressed his disappointment at the news of the Serb's deportation.
🤦🏽♂️
Renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes the Australian Open stands to lose from this decision.
The big loser of this mess is the tournament.
The only good news is that we will hopefully start talking about tennis.
Daniel Vallverdu, another coach, believes that focus must now be entirely devoted to the tournament and other players following the closure of the saga.
Everyone in tennis from players to coaches to journalists to tv commentators…lets make a conscious effort to turn the page and give the well deserved attention to the players competing the next two weeks. They have been training for months and its their time.
Good luck to all!
World No. 161 Damir Dzumhur believes Djokovic of all people should not have been treated in such fashion given his generous nature.
Damir Dzumhur
#WeStandWithDjokovic
#WeStandWithNovak https://t.co/1XKIUpiGsY
When a fan pointed out that all the 20-time Major champion had to do to avoid this mess was to get vaccinated, Reilly Opelka responded with a heartwarming anecdote.
He revealed how he was one of the ball kids at a practice session at the 2008 Cincinnati Masters where Djokovic stayed back to sign everyone's ball.
What else wasn’t that hard for Novak was staying on the practice court for an extra hour back in 2008 at Cincinnati masters to sign EVERY single kids ball. Me being one of them. He has done plenty of great things for the sport too ya know. twitter.com/Smitty676/stat…
Here are some of the hilarious responses to Novak Djokovic's deportation news
News of Novak Djokovic's impending deportation also saw several fans finding humor in the situation, with some subtly mocking the methods of the Serb's biggest fans.
One of the wittiest remarks on Twitter was by a fan below who made a clever wordplay on the word 'Serb.'
@karenlsweeney Novak Djokovic’s deportation from Australia will go down as the greatest return of Serb in tennis history.
Djokovic's fans often have a habit of blaming Roger Federer for everything that goes wrong in the tennis world. One Twitter user took a sly dig at a Djokovic fan, referring to this habit.
I'm afraid Mister Roger Federer has done it again! https://t.co/jnWJWFiPoE
Noted journalist Ben Rothenberg pointed out how Djokovic has endured the craziest results at Slams ranging from his disqualification at the 2020 US Open to his deportation now.
Novak Djokovic’s last seven grand slam results:
Disqualified
🥈
🏆
🏆
🏆
🥈
Deported
Easily the wildest timeline in tennis history.
#AusOpen
Another user impersonated a chair umpire, cleverly highlighting how Djokovic has "no challenges remaining."
Mr. Djokovic has no challenges remaining. twitter.com/paulsakkal/sta…
Another wondered if more mishaps like the 2020 US Open and 2022 Australian Open lie waiting for the Serb at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Will Djokovic complete his Disasterclass Grand Slam before he retires?
Australian Open - Deported
French Open - ?
Wimbledon - ?
US Open - Disqualified
Only time will tell. #AusOpen
One tennis fan posted a famous meme from the popular Netflix show '13 Reasons Why' to hilarious effect.
https://t.co/UV43pfYJIe
In another humoros tweet, one fan joked that the three Judges of the Federal Court who ruled against the nine-time champion looked like Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss has been one of the Serb's biggest obstacles at Slams.
What the 3 judges looked like: https://t.co/F5uQ2eGOuN
One fan was quick to joke that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would be delighted with the latest news.
Leaked photos of Federer and Nadal right now https://t.co/Vz8klU0SxU
Novak Djokovic had his share of supporters and detractors on Twitter
Scores of fans and Australians rejoiced on Twitter when they heard that Novak Djokovic would be deported from the country. Piers Morgan was one of them, calling the Serb a "cheat" in one of his latest tweets.
BREAKING: Covid rule cheat, immigration form liar, & anti-vaxxer icon Novak Djokovic loses final appeal against deportation & will be thrown out of Australia without being able to compete in Aus Open. Good. 👏👏👏 https://t.co/nZAVgSsZK8
Some fans highlighted how Tennis Australia Chief Craig Tiley should also be held responsible for this fiasco. Others pointed to the double standards in Novak Djokovic's fanbase.
A Craig Tiley resignation would be firmly appropriate after this saga.
BREAKING: After stunting, scheming with buddy Craig, jumping through loopholes, playing in our faces, and deploying the full weight of his privilege, Novak Djokovic will be deported from Australia
Djokovic supporters when the request from his lawyers to have a full court was approved:
-YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!
Djokovic supporters finding out Djokovic loses by unanimous decision:
-CORRUPTIONNNNN!!!!
And those fighting for the rights of refugees detained in Australia -- with whom the World No. 1 shared residence briefly -- lamented the fact that the other detainees have not been afforded the same luxuries as the tennis star.
While Djokovic has a safe, comfortable life to return to, refugees who flee their homes only to be deported- are doubly persecuted. They cannot return safely. This is what it means to be a refugee.
The 34-year-old had several supporters too, who expressed their anger on Twitter. One of them called for the expulsion of Australian diplomats in Serbia.
#BREAKING: Novak Djokovic to be DEPORTED after shocking court loss.
Serbia should expel all Australian diplomats.
#AustraliaHasFallen
rebelnews.com/breaking_djoko…
BREAKING NEWS;
Djokovic has LOST the case. A sad day for humanity and a result that will have HUGE ramifications for the world.
Novak is an absolute hero and will explain just why later in the day. He has exposed so many things and so many people.
That battle may have been lost
Some resorted to sarcasm, highlighting how Novak Djokovic's deportation is unlikely to improve Australia's COVID situation.
Breaking : Australia is saved ! Novak Djokovic is being deported from Australia. There are no more Covid in Australia and the 7% of unvaccinated people have decided to get vaccinated tomorrow morning. Everything all right. Now, go home.
#AusOpen
One of them shed light on a rather interesting conspiracy theory, indicating how the Scott Morrison government might have had an ulterior motive behind deporting the Serb.
The real reason Novak Djokovic is being deported is because he protested Rio Tinto’s mining in Serbia, tanking the project, and Australia’s Scott Morrison is a puppet of Rio Tinto. It’s entirely corrupt. #Djokovic https://t.co/kDzWUutAye
A reporter from Belgrade claimed that Novak Djokovic, who is well and alive, was being seen as a "martyr" back in Serbia.
Reporter from Belgrade: Here, Djokovic is not just a hero. Now he's a martyr.
One fan wittily remarked how the only way to defeat Novak Djokovic was "in court" and not "on court."
They couldn’t beat him on court, so they had to stop him in court.
Novak Djokovic is THAT good.
#Djokovic