Australian Open 2022: Inside Novak Djokovic's $104-a-night 'hotel hell' amid deportation row

World No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic spent his first night in a $104-a-night hotel used as refugee housing in Melbourne, even as supporters of the Serbian camped out demanding his release. On Wednesday, Djokovic touched down in Melbourne for the Australian Open 2022, only to be informed that his medical exemption from being vaccinated against the novel coronavirus was insufficient - sparking a diplomatic row between Australia and Serbia.

A far cry from the 9-time Australian Open winner's $15 million manor in Marbella, the Park Hotel has witnessed detainees complain of mouldy and maggot-ridden food. Novak Djokovic will stay at the hotel until his lengthy battle is resolved on Monday, with a team of top lawyers working day in and out to keep him in Australia. The tennis star's participation in the first Grand Slam of 2022 remains in limbo, with Djokovic enduring less than five-star conditions.

Park Hotel gained disgrace for operating as a holding facility for refugees imprisoned on Manus Island and Nauru, seeking medical care under the now-defunct Medevac laws. Djokovic's bother, Djordje, claimed that the Australian Open defending champion was in a 'dirty room without any belongings' and was being treated 'like a criminal'.

Fans and supporters of Novak Djokovic have surrounded the building holding anti-vaccination placards, waving the Serbia flag and chanting their hero's name. A candlelight vigil for the 34-year-old tennis sensation was also held in Lincoln Park, opposite Djokovic's current accommodation.

Meanwhile, dozens of refugee activists used the limelight to their advantage to champion their cause, even as baffled detainees watched through the hotel's windows.

In the past, refugees have shared stories of horror of being trapped inside the Park Hotel, with several claiming that the food is inedible, there is a shortage of fresh air and no access to workout equipment. In an interview with SBS, a refugee once revealed that the maggots were alive in the plastic dish. "People refused to eat it and demanded that it be taken away," added the refugee. He also said that no alternative options were provided, so they either ate the maggot-infested food, the mouldy bread or went hungry.

Djokovic, who hopes to become the first man to win 21 Grand Slam titles, will remain in the Park Hotel until Monday along with 33 other detainees from offshore detention centres. Coincidentally, the hotel has tennis courts. However, it is unclear if the tennis star is accessing the courts to practice for the tournament that is slated to begin on January 17.

There are high chances that Djokovic will experience the same conditions, which is a far contrast to the ones he has enjoyed while living in his Marbella mansion, which he moved into along with his wife last year after living in Monaco for 15 years.

His palatial home boasts about a swimming pool with an ocean view, poolside cabanas and even a private home theatre. However, his current accommodation is an infamous hotel that has in for years, hit the headlines with detainees complaining about the services provided.

Refugees, some of whom have lived at the Park Hotel for nine years, have cried foul for their basic human rights being robbed. Mustafa Salah, an Iraqi asylum seeker, in an interview with SBS News, had said that there are no laundry facilities in the hotel, forcing them to wash their clothes by hand. "The food they've been delivering is putting people in danger. Even an animal cannot eat this type of food," Salah had alleged.

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the Park Hotel was also turned into a quarantine facility for returning residents. In October 2021, the hotel witnessed a Covid-19 outbreak, with 22 of its 46 detainees testing positive. In December, the hotel saw two fires break out that set ablaze the third and fourth floors. Some even alleged they were not safely evacuated during the inferno.

Even as Djokovic's court bid is underway to stop the federal government from deporting him, the World No.1's father called his son's detention 'an attack on Serbia'. Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić accused the Scott Morrison government of launching a 'political witchhunt' after Australia revoked Djokovic's visa.

Fellow tennis superstar Rafael Nadal on Thursday commented on the ongoing fiasco surrounding Novak Djokovic. World No. 6 said that if Djokovic does not want to get the Covid-19 vaccine, then he is going to have some trouble. "Djokovic made his own decisions, and everybody is free to make their own decisions, but then there are some consequences. I don't like the situation that is happening. In some way, I feel sorry for him. But at the same time, he knew the conditions months ago, so he makes his own decision," Nadal added.