Novak Djokovic knew he had tested positive for COVID-19 when he attended a newspaper interview and photo shoot at his tennis center in Serbia last month, stating Wednesday he made an “error of judgment” and should have immediately gone into isolation.
Djokovic made the admission when he moved to clarify “continuing misinformation” about his movements after he tested positive last month. He also blamed “human error” by his support team for a mistake on the travel document he used a week ago to enter Australia, where his visa was revoked and then reinstated in a COVID-19 vaccination saga that has overshadowed the days leading up to the Australian Open.
A statement was posted on Djokovic’s social media accounts while the men’s tennis No. 1 was in Rod Laver Arena holding a practice session, his third on the tournament’s main court since being released from immigration detention.
The nine-time and defending Australian Open champion is in limbo before the year’s first tennis major starts Monday, a week after he earned a legal battle permitting him to stay in the country.
But he still faces the prospect of deportation because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, a decision entirely at the discretion of Australia’s immigration minister if deemed to be in the public interest for health and safety reasons. Deportation could result in sanctions ranging up to a three-year ban from entering Australia, a daunting prospect for a player who has won almost half of his record-equaling 20 Grand Slam singles titles here.
Court documents detailing Djokovic’s positive test sparked speculation over the star player’s attendance at events in his native Serbia last month.
Further questions were raised about errors on his immigration form that could result in the cancellation of his visa.
On the form, Djokovic stated he had not traveled in the 14 days before his flight to Australia, despite being seen in Spain and Serbia during that two-week period.
Djokovic described recent commentary as “hurtful” and said he wanted to address it in the interest of “alleviating broader concern in the community about my presence in Australia.”
The 34-year-old Serb player said he had taken rapid tests that were negative and he was asymptomatic before he received his positive result from an approved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test he took out of an “abundance of caution” after attending a basketball game in Belgrade on Dec. 14.
He got the result late Dec. 17, he said, and scrapped all his commitments except a long-standing interview with L’Equipe.
“I felt obliged to go ahead … but did ensure I socially distanced and wore a mask except when my photograph was being taken,” Djokovic said. “While I went home after the interview to isolate for the required period, on reflection, this was an error of judgment.”
He addressed the travel declaration by saying it was submitted by his support team and “my agent sincerely apologizes for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box.”
“This was a human error and certainly not deliberate,” he wrote. “My team has provided additional information to the Australian Government to clarify this matter.”
