Tennis star Novak Djokovic's family said on Sunday they were "very disappointed" with Australian authorities’ decision to revoke his visa and deport him from the country.
"We are very disappointed with the decision of the Federal Court and the fact that Novak has to leave Australia," the family said in a statement.
"Despite the scandalous behavior towards Novak, we believed that the sport would win," it said.
It also said the court ruling was related with "politics and all (other) interests."
Serbia's premier also denounced as "scandalous" Australia's decision to deport the tennis star over his decision not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and the Serbian president said he would always be welcome in his homeland.
Djokovic flew out of Australia after the court upheld the government's decision to cancel his visa, capping days of drama over the country's COVID-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status.
The unanimous ruling by a three-judge Federal Court bench dealt a final blow to Djokovic's hopes of chasing a record 21st Grand Slam win at the Australian Open that starts on Monday.
The Serbian player went to the airport in Melbourne just hours later. Federal agents escorted him and his team from the business lounge to the gate, where he boarded an Emirates flight bound for Dubai. The flight took off shortly before 11 p.m.