Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic believes he was “poisoned” with lead and mercury in his food during his brief detention in Australia in 2022 prior to his deportation from the country.
Novak Djokovic believes he was “poisoned” in Australia when he was deported in 2022
In 2022, Novak Djokovic was deported from Australiaafter his visa was canceled and he refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The Serbian was heading to play that year’s Grand Slam, but ended up involved in a legal battle that ended with the tennis player unable to play the tournament.
As he told the magazine GQ, Djokovic assured that it was “poisoned” while he was held in a hotel and waited to see how the case would evolve. He expressed that he kept it a secret during this time and that it generated serious consequences, in addition to the traumas that he confessed that he still has every time he has to travel to Australia.
“I had some health problems and I realized that in that detention hotel they gave me food that poisoned me. I discovered things when I returned to Serbia. I have never said this to anyone publicly, but I noticed that I had a very high level of heavy metals. “It had lead, a very high level of lead and mercury”said the 37-year-old tennis player and stressed that the “only way” he could have felt bad was if his food was contaminated.
On the other hand, a spokesperson for the Australian Ministry of the Interior denied the athlete’s statements and stated that he could not comment on individual cases. “for privacy reasons”. The government justified itself by indicating that the food served in the hotel where he stayed Djokovic passed health checks and that samples of the different dishes were supplied to the contractor responsible for detention services.
The former number one stressed that, despite the episode, he does not hold a grudge and explained: “Many Australians I have met in Australia in recent years or in other parts of the world have come to apologize for the treatment I received, because they were ashamed of their own government. In fact, I love being here and I think my results testify to my feelings when playing tennis and being in this country.”
Now Djokovic will be measured again on Australian territory and starting on Sunday they will seek their eleventh trophy in Melbourne to strengthen his male record. He could reach his 25th singles title in Grand Slam tournaments, a feat that is unprecedented.
The eight-time world number one opened 2025 in the tournament ATP in Brisbane last week, where he lost in the quarterfinals to the American Reilly Opelka.
In Australiawill play his first tournament with his new coach Andy Murraythe British man who retired as a player after the Olympics.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
