It was in January 2022 that tennis great Novak Djokovic stayed at a quarantine hotel in Melbourne. He now claims he was “poisoned” while there. After confessing to giving false information on a travel paperwork prior to the 2022 Australian Open, the 24-time Grand Slam winner was detained.
Discrepancies in Djokovic’s travel documentation and his unvaccinated status led to the cancellation of his visa. This was in response to Australia’s strict COVID-19 entrance regulations. He was unable to participate in the 2022 Australian Open since he was deported while confined to a Melbourne hotel for the judicial processes.
Issues with Health and Results from Toxicology
Djokovic revealed to a publicist that he suffered from serious health problems while incarcerated. He went on to say, “I had symptoms resembling a bad flu,” and that following his return to Serbia, he had toxicological testing done. Reportedly, the results showed that he had extremely high concentrations of lead and mercury, among other heavy elements.
It dawned on me that the hotel cuisine in Melbourne was poisonous. “That’s the only possible explanation,” Djokovic said.
Determination on His Professional Path
Due to immunization requirements, the scandal surrounding Djokovic’s arrest prevented him from competing in the 2022 US Open and the Australian Open. Notwithstanding these disappointments, Djokovic returned to Australia in 2023 and won his tenth Australian Open championship.
Djokovic has stated that the incident in 2022 still affects him, but he has no ill will against Australia or Melbourne. “Passport control brought back memories the last couple of times I landed in Australia,” Djokovic told The Herald Sun.
Concerned that he would be detained again, he expressed anxiety over immigration processes. “When I’m going through immigration, I still feel nervous,” he admitted.
Djokovic recognized the incident’s emotional impact, even though he moved past it professionally. As a landmark event in his career, the experience demonstrated the difficulties elite sportsmen encountered while trying to comply with convoluted international standards in the midst of the epidemic.
