Novak Djokovic , accused of public outings in Serbia in December despite the positivity to Covid-19, tries to defend himself on Instagram with a post against what he calls "disinformation".
"It must be corrected - explains the number one tennis player in the world - especially to alleviate the widespread concern for my presence in Australia." And because the accusations, he said, were "very painful" for his family.
First of all, Nole specifies that she learned the result of her PCR test a day later, that is, on the evening of December 17, after spending the day in Belgrade with the children. "I had had an antigen test before I went, which was negative. I was asymptomatic and felt fine. I did not receive information about my positive PCR test until after this event."
On December 18, however, he granted an interview to "L'Equipe". But he explains the decision as follows: "I canceled all my other events, apart from this interview. I felt compelled to do so, I didn't want to disappoint the reporter, but I respected the social distancing and I wore a mask except during the shoot. When I went home to isolate myself, thinking about it, I realized that it was an error of assessment and I understand that I would have to reschedule this commitment ".
He then admitted that the travel declaration issued to border authorities upon his arrival in Australia contained incorrect information, having stated in the Covid questionnaire that he had not traveled in the previous 14 days, while in fact he had traveled to Spain from Serbia. The tennis player spoke of a "human and certainly not voluntary error" by a member of his staff, specifying that "new information" was provided to the Australian authorities to "clarify this matter".
TOURNAMENT AT RISK - Meanwhile, his participation in the Australian Open is increasingly at risk. Despite the victory in court, which overturned the cancellation of his visa and had him released from the migrant center where he was held, and pending the final decision of the Canberra government, the tennis player's position could remain compromised.
Another yellow concerns the certificate of positivity of December 16 presented by the Serbian: the scanning of the QR code of the document, according to Der Spiegel, would give contradictory results, doubting that it was actually infected. The affair also remains at the center of the diplomatic confrontation between Australia and Serbia. The premier of Belgrade, Ana Brnabic, had an interview with her colleague Scott Morrison in the past few hours, asking that the tennis player be given "fair and dignified treatment, with respect for all his rights" and that he be guaranteed the possibility to train.
At the start of the tournament on Monday, which Nole has already won nine times and of which he is the reigning champion, he is missing less and less. The organizers have already formalized him as the first seed on the scoreboard, while the ATP spoke about a story "harmful on all fronts, including the well-being and preparation of Novak for the Australian Open". Meanwhile, the Serbian continues to train at the tournament venue, where he hopes to be able to stay and try to become the first in history to win 21 Grand Slam tournaments.
(Unioneonline / D)
