Novak Djokovic news: Craig Tiley responds to reports that world No 1 will sue Tennis Australia
Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley has dismissed claims that Novak Djokovic will sue Tennis Australia and the Australian government following his deportation.
The world No 1 was sent home from Australia last week after three judges unanimously upheld Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s decision to revoke his visa for a second time.
His deportation came on the back of the Australian Border Force’s original decision to withdraw his visa upon his arrival in Melbourne as he “failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia”.
The 34-year-old was forced to spend the bulk of two weeks at a hotel that houses asylum seekers, leading to his mother Djina Djokovic stating that he was being treated “like a prisoner”.
Then came reports from The Sun that he will take legal action against Tennis Australia and the Australian government for treating him poorly.
It suggested he would sue for “£3.2million with the figure including £2.3million prize money he would have received had he won the tournament”.
Novak Djokovic news: World No 1 reportedly set to sue Australian government over ‘ill-treatment’
However, in an interview with ABC TV, Tiley was asked if Tennis Australia was being sued and replied: “No. I mean there is going to be lots of reports on different things but we are in a position where we are focused on delivering an event right now and we will continue to deliver a great event.”
The Australian government still has an option to ban Djokovic from entering the country for three years, but Tiley is confident the 20-time Grand Slam winner will return next year.
When asked if Djokovic would be back for the 2023 event, he replied: “Yes.”
He continued: “Obviously, I think he’s got to play out this year, but that will be his intention. At the end of the day, he’s the No 1 player in the world and he loves the Australian Open.”
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