Novak Djokovic and his team took an intelligence test disguised as a Covid test - the result was negative.

This is how the latest development in the Djokovic case can be summarized, after a lot of evidence has emerged that the documents that the tennis player's team had presented to enter Australia are at least dubious.

This is also confirmed by Milovan Šuvakov, who was Serbia's Deputy Minister of Education from 2014 to 2016 and teaches at the Institute of Physics at the University of Belgrade.

Michael Martens

Correspondent for Southeast European countries based in Vienna.

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He had taken a closer look at research that the "Zerforschung" portal and the "Spiegel" had done on the Covid tests presented by Djokovic in Australia.

Based on his own investigations, he came to the conclusion that, with the exception of one detail, the research proves with a probability bordering on certainty that the alleged Covid tests, on the basis of which Djokovic wanted to obtain a special permit to enter the country as an unvaccinated person, were intentionally provided with incorrect data.

Djokovic has not yet publicly commented on the allegations.

While some people in Serbia are uncomfortable that their country has become the center of attention due to such actions by its most famous athlete, facts no longer matter to others, tabloid media and politicians in particular. In a four-minute video, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić sharply attacked Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and announced a Serbian response to Djokovic's expulsion. At the same time, he presented the case as a kind of world conspiracy against Serbia and the Serbian people.

"But what they could never take away from us as a people is our hearts, our pride, our dignity," Vučić commented on the alleged attacks.

The pressure on Djokovic, "on a Serbian citizen, a citizen of this country", has reached such proportions that it is impossible not to respond.

In the video, shot in a snowy winter landscape, Serbia's President accuses Australia of not being a constitutional state, "because all power is in the hands of the executive".

Even more important is the "moral issue," said Vučić.

If you wanted to prevent Djoković from winning again in Melbourne, "why didn't you send him back straight away?".

In this sentence, it is not grammatically clear whether the "she" refers to the Australian Prime Minister, but the context suggests that Scott Morrison is meant.

Vučić continues: "Why do you not only mistreat him, but his family and a whole free and proud nation?

Do you need that to win any elections?” Serbs “will fight for Novak Djokovic,” the president announced.

Apparently addressing journalists from all over the world who had dealt with the athlete's case, Vučić said they "could also write hundreds of thousands of the worst possible texts about him", all of which will not change the fact that Djokovic remains "the greatest tennis player of all time". .

Serbia's most powerful politician announced, now apparently turning to Morrison or the Australian government again: "Serbia will know how to answer you, behaving much better than you did to Novak Djokovic." Vučić said what the Serbian answer would be not.

He concluded by saying: “Long live Serbia!

Novak, we are with you!”

Milorad Dodik, President of the Serbs in Bosnia-Hercegovina, said Djokovic was "much more than an athlete" for many people around the world.

The Serbs are "infinitely proud" of Djokovic's behavior and convinced "that only a Serb could go that far," said Dodik.

"You have shown once again that you are among the best sons this people has produced over the centuries."

For the Serbs in Bosnia there is no doubt that a good part of the attacks against Djokovic happened "because you are Serb".

With Djokovic's expulsion from Australia, "all truth-loving people in the world" would have lost.

A hero's reception awaits the tennis player in Serbia.

"I told Novak that I can't wait for him to come back to Serbia, to his country, where he is always welcome," Vučić said after a phone conversation with the athlete.