Europe 1 with AFP
, modified at
7:19 a.m., January 12, 2022
Novak Djokovic admitted on Wednesday that he made “mistakes” in filling out his entry form for Australia and in his behavior after testing positive for Covid-19 in December, while his participation in the Australian Open is still pending. In a message posted on Instagram, the world tennis number one, unvaccinated, said his team had provided additional information to the Australian authorities, who must decide on the possible cancellation of his visa and his deportation.
Victim of “disinformation”
“We live in difficult times in a global pandemic and sometimes mistakes do happen,” pleaded Djokovic, who is currently training for the Australian Open from Monday. Djokovic was seen in public in Belgrade the day after December 16, when he tested positive according to information he provided to Australian immigration officials. Claiming to be the victim of “misinformation” which he considers “very hurtful” for his family, he explained that he had not yet received the result of his test, carried out the day before, when he appeared in public on the 17th. December.
The 34-year-old arrived in Australia last week, with a Covid-19 vaccination exemption due to a positive test dated December 16. After a negative antigen test carried out on December 16 in parallel with the PCR test, he participated, on the 17, in the launch of a stamp in Serbia and in a meeting with young tennis players. Photos released by the Belgrade Tennis Federation showed Djokovic with federation officials and around 20 teenagers, all without masks. The player assures to have carried out before this meeting a second antigenic test, also negative.
An “error in judgment”
“I had no symptoms and felt fine, and had not received notification of the positive PCR test until the end of this event,” he explains. Djokovic recognizes on the other hand an “error of judgment”, that of having received, then asymptomatic patient, journalists of the French daily newspaper L’Equipe for an interview.
“I felt compelled to go on and do the L’Equipe interview because I didn’t want to let the reporter down, but I made sure to respect social distancing and wear a mask, except when my portrait was done. “, he explained. “On reflection, it was an error in judgment and I admit that I should have postponed this engagement.”
“Djoker” also pleads “human error” for checking the wrong box in the form for entering Australia. The latter has been widely publicized by Australian media, and shows the player checking the box confirming that he has not traveled in the 14 days prior to arriving in Australia on January 5. However, the player was, in these two weeks, in Serbia then in Spain.
This statement “was submitted by my team on my behalf,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram. “My agent sincerely apologizes for this administrative error in checking the wrong box regarding my trips prior to my arrival in Australia.” “It was human error and certainly not deliberate.”
The player goes back the timeline of the case and explains that he had done a PCR test on December 16 because he had attended a basketball match in Belgrade the day before, where several people were then tested positive. The participation of the world No. 1 in the Australian Open, which begins on January 17, remains on the table. A spokesman for Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said on Tuesday he “was considering canceling Mr Djokovic’s visa” using his ministerial powers.