Djokovic: Branded a ‘Public Threat’ and Claims He Was Poisoned During Australian Detention

Novak Djokovic of Team Serbia serves in his singles match against Zhang Zhizhen of Team China during day three of the 2024 United Cup at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia on Dec. 31, 2023. Paul Kane/Getty Images

Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic has claimed he experienced poisoning from the food he ate while undergoing detention in a Melbourne hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Djokovic made the claims during an interview with GQ Sports as he recalled his visit to compete in the 2022 Australian Open, which was engulfed in controversy over his vaccination status.

At the time, all players were required to have received the COVID vaccination.

The world number one player told the publication about his treatment, saying he had become a “hero” to the anti-vaccination movement.

It was this fact, he said, that saw him become a “public threat” to Australian society.

“That’s what the three federal judges said in the end [for his trial]. Their sentence is that they are not in a position to question the discretionary right of the [immigration] minister. It was so political.

“It had nothing really to do with vaccine or COVID or anything else. It’s just political. The politicians could not stand me being there. For them, I think, it was less damage to deport me than to keep me there.”

Djokovic told the publication he never intended to reveal his vaccination status, because he was neither pro or anti-vax, rather, he believed in an individual’s right to making their own decisions.

The tennis player also made claims about how he was monitored even after winning his freedom from detention, including being followed by police and watched by a helicopter.

Djokovic said after leaving Australia, he had felt ill, at first thinking he had caught the flu.

But when his medical team ran tests, they showed the champion athlete had a high level of heavy metal in his blood.

“I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I was, I had a really high level of heavy metal. Heavy metal. I had the lead, very high level of lead and mercury.”

Djokovic told the publication he believed the food he was served in detention was the “only way” the toxins could have entered his bloodstream.

Despite the difficulties, the tennis star says he holds no grudges against the Australian people.

“I never held any grudge over Australian people. In contrary, actually, a lot of Australian people that I meet—I met in Australia the last few years or elsewhere in the world—coming up to me and apologising to me for the treatment I received because they were embarrassed by their own government at that point.

“And I think the government’s changed and they reinstated my visa and I was very grateful for that.”

Refugees’ Food Concerns

Djokovic is not the only person to have complained about food at Carlton’s Park Hotel, which was also used to detain refugees.

In 2021, a refugee detained at the hotel posted a photo to Instagram showing what appeared to be moth larvae in his meal.

The man, who used the name Mohammed Joy on Instagram, claimed the meal had been delivered to 34 men in detention.

“Even guards agreed, not edible, took it away,” he posted.

“Now men have no dinner. Detained for two years, now in rooms on level two, now maggots in food.”

The Epoch Times made attempts to contact the hotel, and also contacted the Victorian government for comment.