Novak Djokovic Claims He Was 'Poisoned' by Food During 2022 Australian Open Detention: I Had a 'High Level of Lead'

Mar. 15, 2025

Novak Djokovic for the February 2025 issue ofGQ.Photo:Gregory Harris/GQ

Gregory Harris/GQ

Novak Djokovicis speaking out about how he believes he got food poisoning during his 2022 detention in Melbourne, Australia.

In a new February 2025 cover interview withGQpublished Thursday, Jan. 9, the professional tennis player opened up about gettingdetained during the Australian Opendue tonot being vaccinatedagainst COVID-19.

Since he had recently had COVID at the time, Djokovic was taken to a detention hotel. He was thendeported from Australiaa day before the tournament after a 10-daylegal battlesaw him attempt to get an exemption for Australia’s vaccination requirement denied.

However, in his recent interview, the 37-year-old athlete claimed that he began to have “some health issues” when he arrived back home to Serbia.

“And I realized that in that hotel in Melbourne, I was fed with some food that poisoned me,” Djokovic claimed.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Novak Djokovic in Brisbane, Australia, on Jan. 1, 2025.Chris Hyde/Getty

Chris Hyde/Getty

He added, “I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I was, I had a really high level of heavy metal. Heavy metal.”

“I had the lead, very high level of lead and mercury,” Djokovic continued. “Yeah, very sick. It was like the flu, just a simple flu. But when it was days after that a simple flu took me down so much.”

According to theFood and Drug Administration, foods that are raised, grown or processed can have lead inside them.

A spokesperson from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs toldGQin a statement when reached for comment about Djokovic’s claims, “For privacy reasons, the Department cannot comment on individual cases.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Novak Djokovic on the February 2025 cover ofGQ.Gregory Harris/GQ

After Djokovic’s deportation from Australia in 2022, he wasgranted a visato compete in the 2023 Australian Open.

Meanwhile, theAssociated Pressreports that Djokovic declined to comment when asked about the claim ahead of this year’s Australian Open, which begins on Sunday, Jan. 12.

source: people.com