“They gave me food that poisoned me”

Novak Djokovic He lived many of the happiest moments of his career in Australiawhere he won his first Grand Slam in 2008 and later repeated the celebration nine other times. But there he also went through one of the hardest episodes of his career, when in 2022 his visa was canceled and he was deported, amid controversy over his refusal to be vaccinated against the virus. coronavirus and after a judicial novel that for his family was “a sporting and diplomatic scandal.” A few days ago, the Serb confessed that he still gets stressed when he has to go through immigration upon arriving in the oceanic country. And now he assured that when he was “detained” in a hotel in Melbourne While waiting for the outcome of his case, they gave him “a meal” that poisoned him.

“When I returned to Serbia I had some health problems and I discovered certain things. I never told anyone publicly, but I discovered that I had very high levels of heavy metals. Lead and mercury. And I realized that in that hotel in Melbourne, they gave me food that poisoned me,” he denounced in an article with the magazine GQ published this Thursday.

And when his interviewer asked him again if the food he had been given was responsible for the presence of those metals in his body, he assured: “It’s the only way.”

“I was very sick when I returned to Europe. It was like the flu. But the days went by and that simple flu brought me down so much that I called a doctor. I suffered from that several times and then I took toxicological tests,” he continued.

The former number one, who will seek his 25th Major title in Australia starting this Sunday, revealed some until now unknown details of his “arrest” in Melbourne.

“While I was waiting at the hotel, they gave me a piece of paper with about a hundred items: toothbrush, toothpaste, water, food… things like that. And I had to choose, check certain boxes; each of those items was assigned a certain number of points , and I only had 60. So I chose things until I reached those 59 or 60 points and I gave them the paper Twenty minutes later, I come back and they tell me. ‘We got confused, you’re not 60, you’re 30’. “I thought they were joking!” he said.

He recalled that during the days he spent in the hotel room – a kind of “confinement room”, he stated – he did exercises as best he could, push-ups and sit-ups, and ran on the spot, because he still had hopes of competing in the first “big one.” of the year. And that when they released him – they had detained him in the early hours of Thursday and returned his visa on Monday – he stayed in a house, but he felt like “a fugitive.”

“The police followed me everywhere and a helicopter flew over the central court where I trained. I was not allowed access to the main locker rooms, so they had to find an alternative locker room for me to change and shower and to leave the facilities,” he said.

Djokovic again explained that he had submitted the vaccine exemption request anonymously and had it approved, as he had had Covid shortly before and there were still antibodies present in his blood. And he assured that the real reason why days later they canceled his visa again and deported him was not because he was not vaccinated, but because he was a “public threat” having become a “hero for the anti-vaccine sentiment that was then growing.” in Australia.”

“That’s what the three federal judges admitted in the end. It was political. In reality, it had nothing to do with the vaccine or Covid or anything. It was just political. The politicians couldn’t stand me being there. I think that for them it was less harmful to deport me than to keep me there,” he reflected. “After that, they proclaimed me the number one villain in the world. People think I was deported because I hadn’t been vaccinated and because I had tried to force my way into Australia, which is completely false.”

And although he said that neither his wife nor his family left the “scandal” behind; he did. “For me, everything is fine. I have never held a grudge against the Australians, on the contrary. The government has changed and they gave me back my visa, for which I am very grateful. I also love being there, and I think my results attest to that. how I feel about playing in that country. I have never met the people who deported me a few years ago. I have no desire to do so,” he said.

In Melbourne, Djokovic will try to break the tie with Margaret Court and become the greatest Grand Slam winner in history. At 37 years old, the Serbian will have his biggest threats: Jannik Sinner y Carlos Alcarazthe young people who dominated last year and inaugurated the reign of a new generation, after the historic era of the Big 3, which he formed with those already retired Roger Federer y Rafael Nadal.

The Italian, winner in 2024 in Australia and New York, and the Spanish, champion in Roland Garros y Wimbledonseem destined to do great things with the racket. Could they become as legendary as Nole and his companions in that trio?

“It’s too early. People say no one will ever beat my records. But I doubt it. If they take care of their body, if they do things the right way, if they focus on longevity, on the long term, then they can earn more Grand Slams than me,” he said. “Carlos has done something that no one has done in history at such a young age (NdR: The 21-year-old from Murcia already has four Majors in his cabinets). So I think he has every chance. “I think he’ll get over it very soon.”

Novak Djokovic You already know how your path will begin Australian Openwhich he will seek to conquer for the 11th time. The Serbian – who will debut his coach/player partnership with his old friend and rival in Melbourne Andy Murray– will start as the seventh seed and will meet the American in the first round Nishesh Basavareddya 19-year-old young man who entered the draw thanks to a wild card.

The Californian, 133rd in the world and admirer of Juan Martin Del Potrodecided at the end of last year to leave university and focus on his professional career. He played his first tournament ATP last week in Brisbane, this Thursday he entered the Auckland semis (his second tournament) and will have his senior debut in a Grand Slam against Djokovic.

The Serbian – who on Thursday played an exhibition at the Rod Laver Arena along with Zverev, Victoria Azarenka, Andy Murray and other tennis stars – also started his season in Brisbane, where he reached the quarterfinals and lost to the American Reilly Opelka165th in the ranking. He also reached the round of 16 in the doubles tournament, which he played with Nick Kyrgios.

Projecting his team a little, in the second round he would face the Russian Pavel Kotov (99°) or Portuguese Jaime Faria (124°); in the third, with the Czech Tomas Machac (26°) or Opelka itself; and in eighths, with the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (10°).

In quarters you could cross paths with Carlos Alcarazthird favorite, who will debut against the Kazakh Alexander Shevchenko. And in the semis, with the German Alexander Zverevsecond seed, who will face the Frenchman in the first round Lucas Pouille104th and guest of the organization.

Jannik Sinnerdefending champion and world number one, was the great candidate to reach the final in his half of the draw. The Italian will be first against the Chilean Nicholas Jarry (34°) and its greatest challenges could be Flavio Cobolli (32°) in third; Holger Rune (13th) in the round of 16; Alex De Minaur (8°) o Stefanos Tsitsipas (11th) in quarters; and Taylor Fritz (4°) o Daniil Medvedev (5°) in seedlings.

How did the Argentines do in the draw? Not very well.

Sebastian Baez (28th) will start against the Frenchman Arthur Cazaux (80°) and if he wins he could meet Kyrgios (still in doubt due to an abdominal injury). Francisco Cerúndolo (31st and the other national tennis player among the seeds) will have a complicated test against the unpredictable Alexander Bublik (33°) and if it advances it would collide with Facundo Díaz Acosta (78°) or the Belgian Zizou Bergs (66°).

Tomas Etcheverry (39th) will play with the Italian Cobolli (32nd) and in the third round he could face Sinner. Mariano Navone (46th), with the British Jack Draper (15th). Francisco Comesaña (85th) will go against the German Daniel Altmaier (93rd), but his path becomes complicated in the following instances, with the talented Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (30th) as a possible second round rival and Fritz in the third. Camilo Ugo Carabelli (95°) will debut with the American Learner Tien (120°) and would meet Medvedev in the next instance. AND Federico Coria (97th) will face the American Tristan Boyer, coming from qualifying, and if he advances he will meet De Minaur.

In the women’s draw, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenkaleader of the ranking and current champion, will debut against the American Sloane Stephens. and the polish Iga Swiateknumber two in the world, with the Czech Katerina Siniakova.

Nadia Podoroska (95th) will start with another Czech, Karolina Muchova (21st). Lourdes Carlé (96th), with the American Amanda Anisimova (36th). Y.J.Julia Riera147th and who passed the qualifying, will go against the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (16th).