MELBOURNE, Australia - Novak Djokovic knew he had tested positive for COVID-19 when he took part in a newspaper interview and photo shoot at his tennis center in Serbia last month, he said on Wednesday. Said he made an "error of judgment" and should have gone immediately to solitude.
Djokovic admitted when he went on to clarify "persistent misinformation" about his movements after testing positive last month. He also blamed "human error" by his support team for a mistake in the travel document he used a week ago to enter Australia, where his visa was revoked and then in a COVID-19 vaccination saga was restored, which oversaw the days to come. Australian Open.
A statement was posted on Djokovic's social media accounts while men's tennis No. 1 was holding a practice session at Rod Laver Arena, his third since being freed from immigration detention on the tournament's main court.
The nine-time and defending Australian Open champion is in limbo ahead of the year's first tennis major starting Monday, a week after he won a legal battle to allow him to stay in the country.
But he still faces the prospect of deportation because he has not been vaccinated against COVID-19, a decision entirely at the discretion of Australia's immigration minister if considered in the public interest for health and safety reasons. Relegation could result in a ban of up to three years from entering Australia, a daunting prospect for a player who has won the equivalent of his record 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
Court documents detailing Djokovic's positive test sparked speculation over the star player's appearance at events in his native Serbia last month. Further questions were raised about errors in his immigration form that could result in the cancellation of his visa.
Regarding form, Djokovic said he had not traveled in the 14 days before moving to Australia, while he was seen in Spain and Serbia during that two-week period.
Djokovic described the recent remarks as "hurtful" and said he wanted to address it in the interest of "reducing widespread concern in the community about my presence in Australia".
The 34-year-old Serb player said he had rapid tests that were negative and that he was asymptomatic before receiving his positive result from an approved polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, out of an "abundance of caution" after he took part. Removed. Basketball game in Belgrade on December 14.
He said that he received the result at the end of 17 December, and ended all his commitments except a long-running interview with L'Equipe.
Djokovic said, "I felt obliged to move on..." When I went home to isolate for the required period after the interview, on reflection, it was an error of judgment.
He addressed the travel announcement by saying that it was submitted by his support team and that "my agent sincerely apologizes for the administrative mistake in ticking the wrong box."
"This was a human error and certainly not intentional," he wrote. "My team has provided additional information to the Australian Government to clarify this matter."
A decision on relegation could take some time, although a draw to determine the bracket for the Australian Open is due on Thursday. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke's office issued a statement saying that Djokovic's legal team had filed further documents against a possible cancellation of his visa, adding: "Naturally, this will affect the deadline for the decision."
The issue is whether Djokovic has a valid exemption from rules requiring vaccination to enter Australia because he has recently recovered from COVID-19.
The panel, backed by the Victoria state government and Tennis Australia, approved his request for a medical exemption based on testing positive for the coronavirus in the past six months. The Australian Border Force rejected his waiver and revoked his visa, sending him to immigration custody for four nights, before a judge in the Federal Circuit Court overturned the decision on procedural grounds.
Djokovic was among 26 people who applied for medical exemptions, and Tennis Australia said only a "handful" had been allowed. Subsequent investigations saw two other people involved in the game leave the country.
Meanwhile, with the rise in COVID-19 cases, there is growing concern in the community.
Victoria state, whose capital Melbourne is hosting the Australian Open starting next week, reported 40,127 deaths on Wednesday with 21 new cases.
Australian lawyer Greg Barnes, a veteran in visa matters, told The Associated Press that if the immigration minister takes action, he could choose to revoke Djokovic's visa or his intentions to revoke it to the tennis star. notice can be given.
Barnes said Hawke has "personal power" to revoke the visa without giving Djokovic written notice or reasonable time to respond.
If Djokovic's visa is revoked, his lawyers could go back to court to apply for an injunction that would prevent him from being forced to leave the country.
If the government issues a notice of intent, Barnes said it could give Djokovic up to nine days to respond, depending on when he receives it.
"It could be a way to give Djokovic a chance in the tournament and then kick him out," Barnes said. "In my experience, it's relatively rare for them to change their mind."
Sydney-based immigration lawyer Simon Jeans said there are "a lot of glitches" in the law and the immigration department would be taking its time to make sure any visa cancellations were "appeal-proof".
“It is not an easy task, because if they cancel their visa and then Djokovic wins [an appeal] and he misses the opportunity to compete, he will be liable to the department for the prize money and all his legal fees. can claim against," Jeans said. ,