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Novak Djokovic has claimed that he was “poisoned” during his time in quarantine in Australia in January 2022.
The 24-time grand slam champion was detained three years ago after admitting to making a false statement on a travel document ahead of the Australian Open.
He was subsequently deported after his visa was cancelled, but spent time in a hotel in Melbourne while a complex legal saga played out.
And on returning to Serbia, Djokovic has suggested that medical testing showed a high level of lead in his body, with the 37-year-old believing that he must have ingested the metal in his food.
“I had some health issues,” Djokovic revealed in an interview with GQ. “And I realized that in that hotel in Melbourne I was fed with some food that poisoned me.
“I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but [it was discovered] that I had a really high level of heavy metal. A very high level of lead and mercury.”
Asked by the magazine if it was from the food, the former World No 1 replied: “That’s the only way.”
“It was like the flu, just a simple flu,” he added. “But when it was days after that a simple flu took me down so much. I had that several times and then I had to do toxicology [tests].”
The tournament in Australia was one of two grand slams that Djokovic missed in 2022, having also been unable to compete at the US Open due to his decision not to have a Covid vaccine.
He returned to Melbourne a year later to win his 10th title, though has been handed a tough draw this year as he bids to surpass the major singles title tally of Margaret Court and take the record outright.
