Vucic: Unprecedented media coverage of Djokovic in presidency building

Tanjug

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that his meeting on Thursday with tennis player Novak Djokovic in the presidency building drew unprecedented media coverage.

Vucic met with Djokovic in the presidency sitting in armchairs side by side facing the media which covered the event live.

The Serbian President said that he never saw this much media interest in his 10 years as a state official. “I received all the statesmen of the world from the American president to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, everyone from Europe but I never saw something like this, this interest with reporters standing 3,4 deep. This never happened and I have been in state posts for 10 years. That shows how much of a star you are and what you represent to our people,” the Serbian president told Djokovic.

Vucic also thanked Djokovic for showing respect for Serbia and for makng it famous across the world.

Vucic’s meeting with Djokovic comes after prosecutors in Belgrade said that their investigation determined that the tennis player’s two PCR tests in December were fully valid despite claims that they were falsified to secure him a medical exemption for the Australian Open.

The tennis player said that he wanted to meet the president to express gratitude for the support offered while he was in Australia before the Australian Open. “Even though I was in detention, I had huge support from my family, the entire Serbian nation, good people from the region and the world… They all spoke up trying to make my stay in Australia easier which was unexpected to say the least,” Djokovic said, adding that the president was not obliged to show support but did place himself into a politically compromised position. “As a citizen and athlete I will remember that for a long time. My ties to the Serbian people are stronger by the day. The events in Australia showed that the link will be the same always,” he said.

Djokovic said that he would disclose his own view of events prior to the Australian Open in the next week to 10 days.