Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic declined to discuss allegations he made in a recent interview regarding his detention in Australia in 2022, where he claimed to have been poisoned by food served to him, The Associated Press reports.
Speaking ahead of the Australian Open, which begins Sunday (Saturday EST), the tennis star expressed his desire to focus solely on the tournament and his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title.
Djokovic’s comments came in response to questions about a lengthy interview with GQ magazine, published online this week, in which he revisited his experience being detained and ultimately deported from Australia due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19. In the interview, Djokovic alleged that the food provided to him during his detention at a Melbourne hotel led to health issues.
“I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but… I had a really high level of heavy metal,” Djokovic said in the GQ piece, citing “very high levels of lead and mercury” found in his blood after his return to Serbia.
At a Friday press conference, Djokovic deflected repeated questions regarding these claims.
“I would appreciate not talking more in detail about that, as I would like to focus on the tennis and why I’m here,” he said.
He directed interested parties to the GQ article for further information.
The 37-year-old Serbian star stopped short of providing any evidence that directly linked the elevated heavy metal levels he described to the food he consumed during his detention. When directly asked about any supporting evidence, he did not provide an answer.
Djokovic is currently working with Andy Murray as his coach in Australia, aiming to secure his place in history as the first player to achieve 25 Grand Slam singles titles.
