Home/Tennis

via Reuters

via Reuters

Novak Djokovic has had a miserable start to the new season. He was aiming to set higher benchmarks this season after capping a brilliant 2021 season that saw him win three out of the four Grand Slam titles. However, he was at the center of controversy surrounding his vaccination status. As a result, he was denied a chance to defend his Australian Open title and was deported from Australia.

Recently, the Serb opened up on his vaccination status in an interview. He also detailed the reasons why the authorities deported him from Australia. However, an Irish airline has hilariously trolled one of his seemingly contradictory comments during the interview.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: Novak Djokovic’s Biggest Controversies

Ryanair trolls Novak Djokovic following his interview

The Irish airline took a dig at the World No. 1 after his comments on deportation. The airline took to Twitter and commented, “We’re not an airline but we do fly planes.” This was in response to Djokovic’s comment, where he said, “I’m not anti-vax but will sacrifice trophies if told to get the jab.”

Ryanair, and many other Twitter users, found Novak’s comment to be contradictory and pointed out the irony.

Interestingly, this is not the only time the airline has made jokes at Djokovic’s expense. After Djokovic’s visa was canceled a day before the Australian Open began, Ryanair tweeted, “Unlucky Novak Djokovic. Flight home?” The comment was in addition to the picture of a hawk-eye review denoting ‘Australia’ on one side and ‘Not Australia’ on the other. The image showed the ball landing out on the ‘Not Australia’ side.

In a recent interview with BBC, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said, “The reason why I was deported from Australia was because the Minister for Immigration used his discretion to cancel my visa based on his perception that I might create some anti-vax sentiment in the country or in the city, which I completely disagree with.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

via Reuters

Moreover, the Serb also stated that he would rather miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to get a Covid vaccine.

What do you make of the entire vaccination controversy around Djokovic? Let us know in the comments.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

DIVE DEEPER: ‘They Take Tennis Too Much Like Work’ – Stan Wawrinka Opens up on Why He Is Returning to the ATP Tour