Novak Djokovic ‘not being fed breakfast’ as star’s mother slams ‘inhumane conditions’

Novak Djokovic is supposedly being given just two meals per day as the tennis star continues to be held in a Melbourne detention centre until his Australian visa fiasco is resolved. The Serb was denied entry into the country this week, despite being granted a medical vaccine exemption by two independent panels. 

After the latest development, the Australian government’s attempt to delay Djokovic’s visa hearing until Wednesday was denied. 

That means a verdict on the saga is likely to be reached on Monday as originally planned, with debate raging on over whether the 34-year-old should be allowed into Australia. 

Djokovic has spoken out against mandated vaccines in the past, and has not made his vaccination status known. 

Large sections of the Australian public were therefore outraged when it appeared as though an exemption would allow him to compete, despite months of strict lockdown measures.  

Border officials demanded more information on his exemption when Djokovic arrived in Melbourne, leading to his detention in a hotel until the matter is resolved. 

But it is far from a holiday, with the player’s mother reportedly claiming that the conditions he is being kept in are ‘inhumane’.

According to tennis journalist Sasa Ozmo, Dijana Djokovic also claims that her son is only being given lunch and dinner. 

Djokovic’s mum said: “Novak only has lunch and dinner, no breakfast. He told me that himself. Conditions are not humane, he only has a wall to stare at, can’t even see the park because there aren’t regular windows.”

Czech tennis player Renata Voracova recounted a similar experience when she ran into complications upon arriving in Australia, before eventually leaving the country when her visa was cancelled. 

The resolution of Djokovic’s visa issue could boil down to a positive Covid test in December, which was thought to be used as grounds for his initial exemption. 

But even that has divided opinion, with photos posted to the Serb’s social media profile showing him attending a public ceremony without a mask, one day after his test was recorded. 

Even so, the Australian government now claim that recent infections are only grounds for an exemption when it comes to their own residents. 

With eyes drawn from all over the world to Djokovic’s Australian fiasco, Nick Kyrgios believes that the publicity, even though not in ‘ideal’ circumstances, could be ‘good for the sport’.