Djoker’s Double Fault

Tennis star admits breaking isolation while Covid positive; apologises for ‘administrative mistake’ on travel form.

Novak Djokovic has admitted his travel declaration to enter Australia contained false information and he attended an event in his home country after testing positive for Covid-19, in breach of Serbian restrictions.

The federal government is reviewing new information provided by Djokovic’s team on Wednesday as Immigration Minister Alex Hawke considers whether to use his power to cancel the Serbian’s visa for a second time.

Djokovic conceded the information on his travel declaration form was incorrect after images of the ninetime Australian Open winner in Belgrade in the 14 days before he left Spain for Australia attracted intense scrutiny. He said on his declaration form that he had not travelled in the two weeks prior to arriving in Australia.

In an Instagram post, Djokovic said his agent had accidentally ticked the wrong box on the declaration form as he moved to address “misinformation” around the circumstances of his arrival to Australia.

“On the issue of my travel declaration, this was submitted by my support team on my behalf – as I told immigration offi cials on my arrival – and my agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to Australia,” Djokovic said.

“This was human error and certainly not deliberate.” Djokovic also admitted attending an interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe on December 18 knowing he had tested positive to Covid-19, which he said he now realised was an “error of judgment”.

Before Djokovic issued his statement, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabi? said it would be a “clear breach of rules” if the tennis star was out in public after testing positive.

In his affidavit, Djokovic said he learned he tested positive on December 16 and attached a document issued by the Institute of Public Health of Serbia. But in the new statement, issued after photos emerged of the maskless sportsman at a children’s tennis event in Belgrade, Djokovic said he learned he tested positive on a PCR test later on December 17.

“The next day I attended a tennis event in Belgrade to present awards to children and took a rapid antigen test before going to the event and it was negative,” he said. “I was asymptomatic and felt good, and I had not received the notifi cation of a positive PCR test result until after that event.”Under Australian law, the penalty for giving false evidence is fi ve years’ imprisonment.