Australia's Opals prepared for any Novak Djokovic-inspired backlash during trip to Serbia

Australia's women's basketball team, the Opals, are prepared for any backlash in Serbia where they are due to contest a FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament.

Basketball Australia (BA) has conducted a risk analysis ahead of the tour – as it does before any international trip — but this one takes on extra significance given the Australian government's recent decision to cancel the visa of Serbia's number one sporting icon, Novak Djokovic.

Australia's tough stance on border control and previous requirement for travellers to quarantine is the reason the event is being held in Serbia and not Australia, with the world governing body rejecting Australia's bid to host the event in part because of Australia's COVID «complexities».

There are just over 240 days to go until Australia hosts the women's basketball World Cup, with the potential that some nations who qualify will be negatively impacted by Australia's vaccination mandate.

FIBA executive director David Crocker said Serbia was selected to host two pools of February's qualifying tournament alongside the USA and Japan.

In Serbia Novak Djokovic is not just a tennis star, he's a national hero who has brought hope and light to the country after dark times, Isabella Higgins writes from Belgrade. 

«All had their own different approach to hosting … when it comes down to it the complexity in those three countries wasn't the same as Australia,» Crocker told The Ticket.

«Over the last 18 months, we've delivered over 100 bubble events all over the world. We have very good protocols, very good systems in place for the arrival of players but at the end of the day it is the government policy that we have to work with.»

Serbian president Aleksander Vucic has said his country «will not