"Serbia in shock over Australia's refusal to let Djokovic in"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/novak-djokovic-serbia-belgrade-australia-aleksandar-vucic-b1988143.html
Absolutely wild article. Here's some of the key quotes:
Populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucics government summoned the Australian ambassador in protest of Djokovic's detention.
Vucic said he had spoken to Djokovic and blasted Australian authorities for keeping the tennis star in an infamous hotel for illegal immigrants.
Im afraid that this overkill will continue, Vucic said. When you cant defeat someone on the court, then you do such things.
Most of Djokovics fans at home agree, reflecting the anti-Serb conspiracy theories that are pervasive in the Balkans.
It is historically evident that the world has something against the Serbs, said Darko Ikonic, a Belgrade resident.
Im not saying that Serbs are heavenly people or anything similar, that is a nonsense," he added. "But it is obvious that they do not want him to be the best tennis player in history because they like other tennis players, such as Nadal or Federer, better.
Djokovic's father, Srdjan Djokovic, said Thursday that his son is the symbol of a free world and an attack on him amounted to an attack on Serbia.
He accused Australia and the West in general of mistreating Djokovic because he is a Serb and evoked the 1999 bombing by NATO of Serbia over its breakaway province of Kosovo.
Novak is Serbia and Serbia is Novak, he said. They are trampling on Novak and thus they are trampling on Serbia and the Serbian people.
Shame on them, the entire freedom-loving world should rise together with Serbia, Srdjan Djokovic said. They crucified Jesus and now they are trying to crucify Novak the same way and force him on his knees.