Man Utd’s Nemanja Matic sends message to Novak Djokovic over deportation “shame”

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has shared a message of strong support for world No. 1 tennis star Novak Djokovic after he was deported from Australia on Sunday

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Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has sent a message of support to his fellow Serbian Novak Djokovic after his deportation from Australia.

The tennis star lost a last-ditch court bid to stay in the country ahead of the Australian Open as judges supported the government’s cancellation of his visa on grounds of “health and good order”.

Djokovic has yet to receive his vaccination against Covid which has left him at the centre of a high-profile dispute over whether he could defend his title.

The 34-year-old world No. 1 tennis star left the nation on a flight to Dubai on Sunday to end a 10-day saga, which has polarised opinion.

Djokovic released an emotional statement following Australia’s decision to deport him after three judges reached a unanimous decision to have him leave the country.

The Serbian said he was “extremely disappointed” with the verdict but added that he would “respect” the ruling and “cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country.”

The judges responsible for sending Djokovic home at the court hearing have said they will state their reasons at a later date.

Djokovic’s fellow Serbian Matic – the experienced Manchester United midfielder – has now posted a message of strong support on his Instagram account.

Matic shared a picture of Djokovic lifting the title before tagging the tennis star with the message: “Your glory and their shame will live forever.”

It is not the first time that Matic has gone on record to state his support of controversial actions from Djokovic.

In June 2020, Matic shared a letter of support for the tennis star after his controversial Adria Tour in Serbia and Croatia – when both players and supporters did not adhere to social distancing rules despite the Covid pandemic.

Djokovic later apologised for his role in the tournament, but Matic wrote that he had nothing to apologise for.

The former Chelsea midfielder said: “I see that in the last few days, there has been a campaign against Novak Djokovic for organizing a tournament in Belgrade, although according to the laws of the state of Serbia, everything was in order and it was organized at a high level.

“Despite that, the mice have come out of their holes giving themselves the right to criticize the world number one, both in terms of tennis, but also in his attitude toward all the people in the world.

“However, I’m not worried. Very soon the cat (read, Nole) will be on the court, and the mice back in the hole.

“The tournament was great and I hope it will become traditional, because our tennis deserves it.

“The only thing I hold against Novak that he apologized to the mice who criticize him for no reason.

“No, Nole. They will be apologizing to you – soon.”

Djokovic has been tennis No. 1 for a record total of 355 weeks, and has finished as ATP Year-End No. 1 on a record seven occasions.