Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding tennis icon Novak Djokovic.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion has had his entry to Australia delayed due to an issue with his visa.
Djokovic was granted a medical exemption to enter the country and take part in the Australian Open. The Serbian has not received any vaccinations against Covid-19, something that would typically prevent travellers coming in.
However, his team did not request a visa that would include medical exemptions and as a result Djokovic was held in Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport, where he was quizzed over his vaccination status.
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It was later confirmed that Djokovic's visa had been cancelled and as a result his participation in the Australian Open is now unlikely.
The 34-year-old has previously gone on the record saying he is "opposed to vaccination and I wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel."
Social media was abuzz with reports about the incident and Lovren responded to a post from journalist Sasa Ozmo that said Djokovic's phone had been returned to him by authorities after three hours.
Lovren claimed on his own Twitter "they checked all his instagram direct messages and will deny entrance to Australia whoever follows Nole."
In a separate post, the defender said he will "cheer even more" for Djokovic given the recent events.
Lovren spent six years at Liverpool between 2014 and 2020 having signed from Southampton.
The Croatia international had a strong start to life on Merseyside, although his stock faltered as his career went on with the Reds.
He did enjoy some memorable moments with the club though, most notably his dramatic last-gasp goal in the 4-3 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2015-16 UEFA Europa League quarter-final.
Lovren was also part of the squads that won the Champions League and Premier League under Jurgen Klopp in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
