Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic recently revealed some shocking details about his detention in Australia ahead of the 2022 Australian Open, stating that he was fed poisoned food. The 24-time Grand Slam winner is all set to begin his pursuit to achieve the unprecedented feat of winning 25 Grand Slam titles. To help him achieve the feat, he is joined by his new coach, Andy Murray, who also happened to be his rival back in the day. He is scheduled to face the young American tennis prospect Nishesh Basavareddy on Sunday, January 12.
As Djokovic takes the first major challenge of the year, he recently shared that he was poisoned with high levels of metals in his meals during his 2022 detention in Australia due to the country's COVID-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status.
Novak Djokovic's misery in Australia
In a conversation with GQ, the 37-year-old tennis icon revealed that he felt unwell after returning from Melbourne, later discovering high levels of lead and mercury in his body. Reports indicate that Novak Djokovic was unvaccinated at the time, which led to the cancellation of his visa and subsequent deportation. His visa was later canceled again, resulting in him being held in a Melbourne detention center. These events prompted Djokovic to file and win a lawsuit against the Australian Border Force (ABF), challenging the cancellation of his visa despite having clearance to participate in the tournament without vaccination.
"I had a paper with like a hundred items: from toothbrush, toothpaste, water, food, whatever,” the 37-year-old divulged. “And I had to choose, tick the certain boxes, and each of these items carries a certain amount of points, and I had 60 points in total of what I was allowed to receive," said Djokovic.
"I was not allowed to access the locker room, main locker room. So they had to find an alternative locker room for me to change and take a shower and get me out of the site. So I was kind of like a fugitive there. I had some health issues. And I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne I was fed some food that poisoned me. Well, 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, a very high level of lead and mercury," he added.
Novak Djokovic further shared that his health continued to decline, prompting him to seek immediate medical attention. A subsequent toxicology test revealed the presence of high levels of lead and mercury in his body