Under fire Tennis Australia boss is hit with a volley of BOOS as he appears on court in the wake of the Novak Djokovic debacle
- Tiley booed by fans as he made first appearance since Djokovic’s deportation
- Executive was presenting Aussie player Sam Stosur with flowers as she retired
- Tennis Australia widely blamed for misinforming world No.1 before he arrived
- Tiley was booed as he thanked Stosur for her contribution to Australian tennis
- Djokovic reportedly considering suing Australian government over his treatment
Embattled Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley has been booed by fans as he made his first public appearance since Novak Djokovic was deported back to Serbia.
The Australian Open crowd at Kia Arena could be heard booing Tiley as he presented retiring Aussie legend Sam Stosur with a gift and flowers after the final game of her career on Thursday.
Tennis Australia has been widely accused of misinforming the world No.1 about the criteria he needed to meet to enter the country as an unvaccinated traveller.
Tiley was booed as he thanked the one-time Grand Slam winner, 37, for her contribution to Australian tennis.
Craig Tiley with Novak Djokovic in February 2021. Tiley was booed by fans on Thursday as he made his first public appearance since the world No.1’s visa debacle
‘Thanks for everything,’ he said.
‘Thanks for being Sam Stosur, and thank you for the difference that you have made to our great game.’
The booing came just hours after it emerged Djokovic is reportedly preparing to launch legal action against the Australian government over his deportation.
Now back home in Serbia, the 20-time Grand Slam champion is reportedly in talks with lawyers about suing the Morrison Government for more than $6 million (£3.2million) over ‘ill treatment’, The Sun reported.
Tennis Australia has meanwhile denied it paid Djokovic’s legal bills during his battle to stay in the country, telling radio station 2GB the claims are ‘all untrue’.
The estimated figure for damages includes the prize money Djokovic would have won had the defending Australian Open champion won his 10th title in Melbourne.
Novak Djokovic (pictured) is reportedly weighing up his legal options after being deported from Australia
‘It’s well known that Novak and his family feel he was poorly treated in the quarantine hotel in Melbourne,’ a close source told The Sun.
‘His mother revealed how it was full of fleas and maggots. He was kept a virtual prisoner.’
Lawyer Toma Fila added: ‘He was subjected to humiliating treatment. He should sue.’
Novak Djokovic (pictured with wife Jelena) could sue over alleged ‘ill treatment’ in Australia
AHWC Immigration Law principal lawyer Maggie Taaffe warned earlier this month Djokovic could sue if he was deported.
‘It’s possible he could certainly make a claim for compensation for being detained unlawfully because that was what the decision ultimately came to – the decision was procedurally unfair, it was unlawful,’ she told the Herald Sun.
Djokovic was detained in an immigration detention hotel for at least half of his 11-day stay in Melbourne before he was deported over the visa and vaccine exemption saga.
More to come
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