Belgrade Jan. 12 (BNA): Novak Djokovic was in Serbia two weeks before traveling to the Australian Open from Spain, according to three Belgrade residents whose Reuters accounts backed social media posts that contradict information in his immigration announcement. Arrival in Melbourne.
Accounts by two eyewitnesses and another person, obtained by Reuters on Tuesday and not previously reported, confirmed previous social media posts apparently showing Djokovic in Belgrade less than two weeks before he heads to Spain and then to Australia, Reuters reports.
These accounts of his travel history conflict with an announcement made as part of immigration procedures for Djokovic’s entry into Australia which stated that he had not traveled in the 14 days prior to his departure for Australia.
Providing false or misleading information on the form is a crime, and carries a maximum prison sentence of 12 months, a fine of up to A$6,600 (US$4,730) and can result in the offender’s visa being revoked.
Djokovic, the world number one in men’s tennis, is in Australia to play in the Australian Open next week. The federal government canceled his visa when he arrived, on the grounds that he had not had a COVID-19 vaccine and that his medical exemption was not satisfactory.
A judge on Monday overturned that decision after Djokovic lodged a successful legal appeal. But the Australian government said it was considering using discretion to cancel Djokovic’s visa.
Two of Djokovic’s Australian representatives and his lawyer did not respond to emailed requests for comment on his movements in the 14 days prior to January 5, and about information on the immigration form.
In response to questions by Reuters, Djokovic’s father, Serjan Djokovic, sent a statement saying, “If nothing had been clarified, as some journalists required, the verdict would have been different.”
Three separate social media posts purporting to display photos of Djokovic and videos of Djokovic in Belgrade were posted on December 25. It was not possible to independently verify when and where the images were recorded.
However, two eyewitnesses who spoke to Reuters said they saw the athlete in Belgrade on or after December 24, that is, within 14 days before he arrived in Australia via Spain. The two witnesses said they did not remember the exact dates when they saw the tennis player. A third person confirmed the recording of a video of Djokovic on social media on December 25 in Belgrade.
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Before boarding his Emirates flight to Melbourne, Djokovic – like all travelers to Australia – was asked to fill out a form called the Travel Declaration to Australia.
Among the questions on this form, Djokovic or his representatives ticked a box stating that he had not or would not travel in the 14 days prior to his trip to Australia, according to a copy of the completed form submitted to Australian Federal by his attorney as part of his legal appeal.
Djokovic told Australian authorities that when he arrived in Australia on January 5, he traveled there from Spain, according to documents his lawyers submitted to the court and seen by Reuters.
In order not to travel within the 14 days prior to his trip to Australia, Djokovic had to be in Spain from December 23 at the latest.
Asked if it was investigating whether Djokovic’s form contained misinformation, the Australian Border Force said it had not commented on operational matters.
It said that as part of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 variant Omicron, it is essential that travelers, among other things, “make a declaration setting out their travel date 14 days prior to their scheduled trip”.
Tennis Street
Part of the evidence that puts Djokovic in Serbia in a 14-day window before he goes to Australia centers around a video of an impromptu tennis match showing Djokovic playing with an unidentified person on December 25 in a Belgrade street.
The video posted on the Instagram account of Belgrade real estate CEO Igor Rogan showed someone matching Djokovic’s description, wearing jeans and a raincoat, and playing tennis on a street. Reuters identified the site as West 65, an upscale apartment complex in the Novi Belgrade district of Belgrade. A branch of Rogan Real Estate can be seen in the background.
The video was posted on December 25, with a caption saying it was recorded on the same day. When contacted by Reuters, an employee at the company where Rogan works said the branch in West 65 was open for business on December 25 and that Rogan recorded the video in Belgrade on the same day.
“I remember it was on Catholic Christmas,” she said. Orthodox Christians, who are the majority in Serbia, celebrate Christmas on January 7. She asked not to be identified. She declined to answer further questions, and referred inquiries to Rogan. He told Reuters he did not wish to comment.
Two witnesses who spoke to Reuters, asking not to be named, said they saw Djokovic near the same apartment complex.
The accounts provided to Reuters by the three individuals back up previous social media posts.
A photo posted on Twitter by a user named Danilo Skerovic, on December 25, showed Djokovic standing with a fan in front of the same apartment building. The tennis player was wearing the same uniform as in the video Rogan posted, with a tennis racket in one hand and a tennis ball in the other. Skerovich did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Another photo of Djokovic was published on the same day on the Instagram account of Petar Djordich, an athlete who plays handball with the Serbian national team and Portuguese team SL Benfica. The photo showed Djokovic, in the same outfit and on the same background, alongside Djokovic. Djordich did not respond to messages sent on Tuesday to his mobile phone number. SL Benfica did not respond to a request for comment.
While questioned by an immigration official at Melbourne Airport, Djokovic said his agent had completed the Australian travel permit, according to a transcript of the interview released as part of the legal challenge. Elena Capellaro, who acts as his agent, did not respond to a request for comment on whether she completed the form.
The Djokovic case has sparked a rift between Canberra and Belgrade and sparked a heated debate over mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies.
Public opinion in Australia, which is battling a wave of Omicron infections and where more than 90% of the adult population is vaccinated, has been largely against the player. Fans of the Serbian tennis player claimed that the Australian authorities had made him a scapegoat.