News > Tennis: Djokovic’s parents accuse Australian authorities of holding him as ‘prisoner’ in visa row

Tennis: Djokovic’s parents accuse Australian authorities of holding him as ‘prisoner’ in visa row

Novak Djokovic’s family and fans have railed against the tennis star’s shock detention in Australia, which left the world No 1 spending Orthodox Christmas Day on Friday in a Melbourne immigration detention facility.

In a series of fiery remarks, his father Srdjan Djokovic told a crowd in Belgrade that his son was the victim of a “political witch hunt” and “corona fascism” and should be freed. Fans chanted “free Novak” outside Melbourne’s Park Hotel which now serves as a detention centre.