Gary Lineker has aimed a sly dig at Novak Djokovic after the tennis star won the men’s Wimbledon title on Sunday.
The Serbian sealed his seventh Wimbledon title after a four-set win against Nick Kyrgios at the All England Club.
Speaking shortly after the win, former footballer Lineker took to Twitter to aim a dig at Djokovic.
He said: “Congratulations to the brilliant Novak Djokovic who finally wins a court battle against an Australian.”
Gary Lineker
Justin Downing
Novak Djokovic won his seventh Wimbledon title on Sunday
Adam Davy
His comments were referring to Djokovic being deported from Australia after failing to overturn the decision to cancel his visa over a row that was centred on the fact the Serbian hadn't had the Covid-19 vaccine.
The verdict from Chief Justice James Allsop came following a unanimous decision from the three judges hearing the case at the Federal Court of Australia in January.
The decision meant that nine-time champion Djokovic was unable to defend his title at the Australian Open and was banned from Australia for three years – although that can be waived.
Djokovic had the option of trying to take the legal fight further but said in a statement he would cooperate with the deportation despite being “extremely disappointed” by the decision.
Speaking at the time, Djokovic said: “I would like to make a brief statement to address the outcomes of today’s court hearing. I will now be taking some time to rest and to recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this.
“I am extremely disappointed with the ruling to dismiss my application for judicial review of the minister’s decision to cancel my visa, which means I cannot stay in Australia and participate in the Australian Open.
“I respect the court’s ruling and I’ll cooperate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country.
“I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that we can all now focus on the game and tournament I love. I would like to wish the players, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and fans all the best for the tournament.
“Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, team, supporters, fans and my fellow Serbians for your continued support. You have all been a great source of strength to me.”