MELBOURNE, Jan 10 — Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic has told magazine GQ that he believes he was "poisoned" during his time in an immigration detention facility in Melbourne ahead of the 2022 Australian Open, reported the German News Agency (dpa).
In an interview released on Thursday, the 24-time grand slam champion claimed that the food he was served in a Melbourne hotel, where he was being held after his visa was cancelled, made him ill.
In 2022, Djokovic was detained after his visa exemption was revoked by Australian authorities due to his unvaccinated status amid the country's strict Covid-19 entry regulations at the time.
"I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne, I was fed food that poisoned me. When I returned to Serbia, I made some discoveries that I’ve never shared publicly.
"I found out I had extremely high levels of heavy metals, including lead and mercury," GQ quoted Djokovic as saying.
GQ reported that the Australian Department of Home Affairs declined to comment on the matter, citing privacy concerns.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was not in office at the time of the incident, was asked about the player's comments on Friday.
"I have not seen those comments, so I am not going to respond to comments that I have not seen. I wish Mr Djokovic very well, all the very best on the court over the period of the Australian Open," he replied.
Djokovic also claimed that his deportation from Australia was politically motivated, saying: "It was so political. It had nothing really to do with vaccine or Covid or anything else."
"The politicians could not stand me being there. For them, I think, it was less damage to deport me than to keep me there," he said in the interview.
Despite his family's resentment, Djokovic holds no grudge against Australia, stating: "I actually love being there, and I think my results are a testament to my sensation of playing tennis and just being in that country."
The 37-year-old is set to begin his quest for a 25th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday. He has already claimed the Melbourne title a record 10 times, most recently in 2023.
— Bernama
