(CNN)Tennis star Novak Djokovic admitted on Wednesday he did not isolate immediately after testing positive for Covid-19 last month – but denied knowing he had the virus while attending public events.
In a statement released on social media, he also apologized for what appeared to be a false travel declaration, saying it was submitted on his behalf by a member of his support staff due to “human error”.
Djokovic added that he made a “misjudgment” during a media interview and photo shoot with a French sports newspaper after testing positive.
The journalist and photographer working for L’Equipe was not told before, during or after the interview with the tennis star in Belgrade that Djokovic was Covid-positive, the French sports daily reported on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Australian Border Force (ABF) officials are investigating possible inconsistencies in documents related to Djokovic’s December PCR result, as well as the tennis player’s movements in the days after he tested positive for Covid-19 in Serbia, a source with knowledge of the said Investigation CNN with The Wednesday.
The Australian Border Force (ABF) has not yet determined whether these issues could affect the validity of Djokovic’s current Australian visa, the source said.
On Tuesday, German news agency Der Spiegel reported possible discrepancies in the digital data accompanying Djokovic’s PCR tests. The PCR test documentation was filed in court by Djokovic’s lawyers and published online.
Positive and negative results for the same PCR test appeared when Der Spiegel retroactively accesses the results via an attached QR code, the outlet reported.
A CNN contributor and various netizens also reported seeing the same issue. There was no indication of what could have caused a discrepancy.
Tests conducted by CNN on Wednesday showed only one positive result, consistent with documents filed with the court.
“I want to address the persistent misinformation”
Djokovic has been embroiled in controversy since he was arrested in Australia last week over a visa and vaccination dispute.
He arrived in Melbourne last week and had his visa to enter the country without a valid exemption from the country’s vaccination requirement for all arrivals promptly annulled – but won the legal battle on Monday, with a judge’s ruling allowing him to stay.
But there have been questions about Djokovic’s behavior – specifically his positive Covid diagnosis in the last month before arriving in Melbourne and the public events he was attending at the time.
“I would like to address the ongoing misinformation about my activities and attending events in December leading up to my positive PCR Covid test result,” he said in the statement.
“This is misinformation that needs to be corrected, particularly in the interest of allaying the wider concern in the community about my presence in Australia and addressing matters that are very hurtful and affecting my family.
“I would like to emphasize that I have made every effort to ensure everyone’s safety and my compliance with testing obligations.”
Djokovic said he attended a basketball game in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on December 14, where many people tested positive afterwards. He showed no symptoms but was tested on December 16.
On December 17, before receiving the official result of his test, he took a rapid test, which came back negative, and attended a youth tennis awards ceremony – after which he said he received the official positive result.
The following day, December 18, he gave a media interview and photo shoot with French sports newspaper L’Equipe, saying he kept going because “I didn’t want to let the journalist down”. He has been social distancing and wearing a mask except for the photo shoot, he added.
“While I went home after the interview to isolate for the required period of time, on reflection this was a misjudgment and I accept that I should have postponed that commitment,” he said.
L’Equipe interview
According to L’Equipe’s story on Wednesday, journalist Franck Ramella and photographer Etienne Garnier reported that Djokovic appeared “okay” although it was later revealed the tennis star had been diagnosed with Covid-19 on December 16.
The L’Equipe article says Ramella has since tested negative for Covid-19 – with no mention of Garnier’s health.
Ramella told CNN he was on his way to Melbourne to cover the Australian Open.
“For 33 minutes, according to the timer on the recorder, Djokovic answered the questions with confidence,” reads a French-language CNN translation of the article.
“We were safe, facing each other nearly a meter apart and sitting on opposite sides of a long rectangular table. When Etienne asked him to take off his mask for five minutes during the interview, Djokovic refused.
“Then the photo session took place. Apparently the Serbian champions have taken off their mask. We didn’t want him to pose with his face half covered.
“Then he followed the instructions of Etienne, who was masked. He held the trophy at arm’s length, moving from one position to another, smiling or grinning to show he’d won. He also called out to make it even more real.”
The article was published just hours before Djokovic apologized for making the interview appointment despite knowing of his positive PCR diagnosis from a test conducted two days earlier.
International Tennis Writers Association (ITWA) Co-President Simon Cambers said it was “deeply concerning” that Djokovic had not told one of the members of the organization – and the rest of the L’Equipe team that day – that he tested positive for Covid-19.
“As journalists, we take great care to comply with all applicable Covid-19 rules and we expect all players to do the same,” the ITWA statement added.
“In addition, it should be noted that journalists must be fully vaccinated to travel to Melbourne for this year’s Australian Open.”
After news of his positive result broke, Djokovic received widespread criticism for photos showing him at these various events – often unmasked and around children.
His statement on Wednesday that he did not know his positive Covid status until December 17 also contradicts comments from his brother, who told a press conference on Tuesday that the player tested positive on December 16 and knew his result.
In an interview with Australian broadcaster and CNN affiliate Seven Network on Wednesday, Djokovic’s mother said he “probably” didn’t know he had tested positive before attending the events.
Even the Serbian authorities, who have strongly defended Djokovic and denounced his temporary detention during the ordeal, acknowledged the controversy.
“It would be a clear breach of the rules because if you know you’re safe, you would have to be in isolation,” Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić told the BBC, but adding “there’s a gray area” as it was unclear , when Djokovic received his results.
travel declaration
Djokovic also addressed the controversy surrounding an apparently incorrect travel declaration.
Although he said he had not traveled in the 14 days before arriving in Australia, photos taken during that time appear to show him in both Spain and Serbia.
In the statement, he apologized for the incorrect statement, saying it was submitted “by my support team on my behalf,” calling it “a human error and certainly not intentional.” He declined to comment further, only adding that he hopes to play at the Australian Open and “compete against the best players in the world”.
According to Australia’s Home Office website, the penalty for filing a false travel declaration is a maximum of 12 months in prison.
Although the judge allowed Djokovic to go free and start training for the tournament which starts next week, the tennis star could still face deportation as the ABF is also investigating the travel declaration discrepancy and the immigration minister is still considering whether whether to remove him from the country .
“It has become public knowledge that Secretary Hawke is considering revoking Mr Djokovic’s visa under Section 133C(3) of the Migration Act,” a spokesman for Immigration Secretary Alex Hawke said on Wednesday.
“Mr Djokovic’s lawyers have recently submitted extensive further submissions and evidence allegedly relevant to the possible annulment of Mr Djokovic’s visa. This will of course affect the timeframe for a decision.”
Although the judge overturned the annulment of Djokovic’s visa, Hawke could still use his personal power to revoke it – which could result in another legal standoff.
Angus Watson contributed to this report
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