Novak Djokovic’s mini mea culpa attempt – Liberation

Wrong box checked on the visa application, stay in Spain not reported, meeting with young players and an interview at the team while he is positive, incorrect dates on the results of his PCR tests: still uncertain for the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic admitted on Wednesday that he had committed a series of what he calls “errors” by completing the form to enter Australia. “We live in difficult times in a global pandemic, and sometimes mistakes happen”tried to justify himself as the world number one in a message posted on Instagram.

Unvaccinated Djokovic, who is currently training in hopes of taking part in the tournament which begins on Monday, said his team had provided further information to Australian authorities, who are considering revoking his visa again and deporting him. .

The 34-year-old was seen in public in Belgrade the day after December 16, when he tested positive, according to information he provided to Australian immigration. Claiming to be a victim ofdisinformation” that he judges “very hurtful” for his family, he explained that at the time of appearing in public on December 17, he had not yet received the result of his test, carried out the day before.

Journalists unpin

Obviously, not enough to convince the Australian press. On the Channel 7 TV channel, two journalists believing themselves to be off the air, Mike Amor and Rebecca Maddern, described the player as “asshole”, according to a video relayed on social networks. “Anyway you look at this story, Djokovic is a sneaky fucking liar”, even dropped the journalist. For the moment, neither of them has reacted publicly. Channel 7 has however launched an investigation to find the origin of the leak of this sequence, indicates the site The Advertiser

Novak Djokovic arrived in Australia last week, claiming an exemption from vaccination against Covid-19 due to a positive test dated December 16. After a negative antigen test carried out on December 16 in parallel with the PCR test, he took part, on the 17th, in the launch of a stamp bearing his effigy in Serbia and in a meeting with young tennis players.

Photos published by the Serbian Tennis Federation show Djokovic with officials of this federation and around 20 teenagers, all without masks. The player claims to have carried out a second antigen test, also negative, before this meeting. “I had no symptoms and felt fine, and I had not received the notification of the positive PCR test before the end of this event”he explains.

“My agent sincerely apologizes”

When he landed in Australia on January 5, the nine-time Australian Open winner was provided with a medical exemption from vaccination supported by two PCR test certificates. One positive for Covid, dated December 16, 2021. The other negative, dated December 22. However, according to the investigation carried out by the German media, the positive test was actually carried out on December 26.

Djokovic, on the other hand, recognizes a “misjudgment” that of having received, then asymptomatically ill, journalists from the French daily L’Equipe for an interview. “I felt compelled to go on and do the interview with the team because I didn’t want to let the journalist down, but I made sure to respect social distancing and wear a mask, except when my portrait was donehe explained. On reflection, it was an error in judgment and I recognize that I should have postponed this engagement.

In an article published on Tuesday, the journalist from the team Franck Ramella and photographer Etienne Garnier indicated that Djokovic seemed “healthy” at the time of his interview. Franck Ramella – tested negative for Covid-19 since – indicates: “The instructions were clear: no questions about the vaccination and the intentions of the Serb in view of his presence for the next Australian Open. […] He was therefore not asked if he had thought about getting tested. And if so, for what result. In the columns of the newspaper, he also tells that during the interview, “we were both protected, facing each other almost a meter apart […]. Solicited […] to remove his mask for five minutes during the discussion, Djokovic refuses.

“Djoker” also pleads “human error” for ticking the wrong box on the Australia entry form. This form has been widely circulated by the Australian media, and shows that the player has ticked the box certifying that he has not traveled in the 14 days prior to his arrival in Australia on January 5. However, the player was, during these two weeks, in Serbia and then in Spain.

This declaration “was submitted by my team on my behalfwrites Djokovic on Instagram. “My agent sincerely apologizes for this administrative error in ticking the wrong box regarding my travels prior to my arrival in Australia. It was human error and certainly not deliberate.

The player goes back to the chronology of the case and explains that he took a PCR test on December 16 because he had attended a basketball match in Belgrade the day before with several people who then tested positive.

Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open, which begins on January 17, remains up in the air. Turned away at Melbourne airport after his visa was canceled on January 5, Djokovic was placed in a detention center awaiting deportation, but a judge ruled in his favor on January 10 and ordered his immediate release . Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, however, said on Tuesday that he was considering revoking Djokovic’s visa again using his discretionary powers.

According to Australian immigration lawyer Christopher Levingston, the government has the option of revoking the visa again on the grounds that a criminal offense has been committed, such as making a false entry declaration.

Update : at 6:27 p.m., with insults from Australian journalists and explanations from journalists from the Team.