Novak Djokovic could sue Australian government for $6m

Published 10:59 20 Jan 2022 GMT

Danny Jones

Novak Djokovic could sue Australian government for $6m

Home sport

Get our Pub Quizzes and latest news straight to you by clicking here »

Let's keep this soap opera running

Novak Djokovic could reportedly sue the Australian government over his deportation from the country following his long-running vaccine saga. Insiders are believed to have told The Sun that the 34-year-old is seeking approximately £3.2m in damages: a number which includes the £2.3m prize money the world no. 1 expected to win. The case is expected to be worth upwards of $6m. Djokovic was the firm favourite to win this year's Australian Open, having already taken the tournament nine times before - this year would have been his 21st Grand Slam and seen him break the record for men's singles titles (currently drawn with Federer and Nadal). [caption id="attachment_311634" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Credit: Getty - Djokovic was deported from Australia on Monday[/caption] A source close to his agent, Edoardo Artladi, said: “It’s well known that Novak and his family feel he was poorly treated in the quarantine hotel in Melbourne". The poor conditions of this hotel were widely reported and his mother, Dijana, even claims he was subjected to torture. Father Srdjan says that the entire debacle was an "assassination attempt" by the Aussie government and lawyer Toma Fila stated that “he was subjected to humiliating treatment" and "should sue.” It has been confirmed that the Serb is now banned from the country and therefore the competition for three years, meaning that there is all more the likelihood of a case being put forward as the tennis star won't want to miss out on multiple opportunities to compete in one of the biggest dates on the ATP Tour - especially given his record up till this point. Despite being deported for not being vaccinated (among other facets) in a rather interesting development, it has now been revealed is that Djokovic actually owns an 80 per cent stake in a biotech firm manufacturing a covid-19 drug. Djokovic has now become an even greater cult figure among the anti-vax community and has received criticism and support from both sides of the debate.