Novak Djokovic's family abruptly end press conference over infection question

It was the question that the Djokovic family wouldn’t answer.

As Novak Djokovic returned to Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena for a late-night training session on Monday following the Federal Circuit Court overturning the Australian government’s cancellation of his visa, his family called a press conference in Serbia to hail the decision.

“Thank God that God exists ... this is the biggest victory in his career, bigger than all of his grand slams,” Novak’s mother, Dijana Djokovic, told a press conference in Belgrade.

But the Djokovics abruptly shut down the news conference when questioned about whether the world No.1 was mixing with the public a day after testing positive for Covid-19.

The press conference closed after the following exchange. Reporter: “Is it true he was positive on December 16?”

Djordje Djokovic: “Yes, that’s all in the documents.”

Reporter: “Was he out in public on December 17 while infected?”

Djordje Djokovic: “The press conference is adjourned.”

The family then broke into a Serbian folk song written especially for Djokovic.

The question on whether he was out in public on December 17 relates to Djokovic reportedly attending an awards ceremony at the Novak Tennis Centre in Belgrade that day. Photos on social media show him posing for photos with children without wearing a mask.

A day earlier, the 34-year-old tennis star received a commemorative stamp in his honour at an event hosted by the Serbian National Postal Service. He shared photos of the occasion on social media.

The tennis star later shared photos of the event on social media.