'Will hurt him for a long time' – Novak Djokovic's coach fumes at 'unjust' deportation from Australian Open

Novak Djokovic’s coach says the decision to deport the world No. 1 from Australia was “unjust” and “will hurt him for a long time”. The Djokovic saga grabbed headlines across the world after the Serb touched down for the Australian Open unvaccinated but with a medical exemption.

His initial visa was cancelled, re-approved by a judge, then revoked again by Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke. Ad/> The protracted case finally ended on Sunday when Djokovic failed to overturn his visa cancellation for a second time. Australian OpenBig Three snub ‘doesn’t make a difference’ to Tsitsipas17 HOURS AGO Now his long-time coach, Marian Vajda, has broken his silence on the furore and defended his star player.

“I can’t imagine how he handled it. It must have been a huge suffering,” Vajda told Slovakian site Aktuality.sk. “He humbly endured all measures.

But what they did to him must mark him. It is clear that it hit him mentally. It will hurt him for a long time and it will be difficult to get it out of his head.

“However, I know him very well. Novak is strong, resolute and has not yet said his last word in tennis.” 'These moments are priceless for me' — Azarenka and son Leo give moving press conference Medvedev beats Kyrgios and the crowd, Sabalenka's service troubles — Australian Open diary Vajda has coached Djokovic since 2006, except for a one-year break, and has been part of the team for all 20 Grand Slam titles. “I needed to calm down.