24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic revealed that he was ‘poisoned’ on his short stay in in Melbourne back in 2022 during the COVID row. Djokovic’s comments come just a couple of days before the star of the Australian Open 2025 where the world no.7 is seeking his record 25th Grand Slam.
Djokovic‘s claims dated back in January 2022, when he was deported for being non-vaccinated against the coronavirus. As soon as he landed in Melbourne to play in the Australian Open 2022, Djokovic was detained for his vaccination status against coronavirus.
The Serbian was sent to an immigration hotel and his visa was cancelled. The 37-year-old tennis legend fought a legal battle but was unsuccessful before being finally departed.
“I had some health issues, and I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne, I was fed some food that poisoned me,” Djokovic was quoted as saying to GQ magazine.
Djokovic revealed that he found traces of lead and mercury in his body after return to Serbia. “I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discovered that I had a really high level of heavy metal. I had lead, a very high level of lead and mercury,” added the former world no.1.
In 2022, Australian government had strict rules and regulations against coronavirus. They didn’t allow anyone irrespective of their stature if the person wasn’t vaccinated against coronavirus.
Djokovic returned to Melbourne the following year and won. In fact, 10 of Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slams have come at Australian Open. However, he has no ill-feelings against any Australian.
“A lot of Australian people that I met in Australia the last few years or elsewhere in the world, have come up to me, apologising to me for the treatment I received because they were embarrassed by their own government at that point,” said Djokovic.
