Djokovic In Hot Water After Admitting Attending Photoshoot, Interview Despite Testing Positive For COVID-19

Tennis star Novak Djokovic, whose recent scandal regarding vaccination with the Australian government is making waves across the world, admitted on Wednesday, Jan. 12, to attending numerous maskless events and appointments in Serbia despite being COVID positive.

Djokovic, who is currently the World’s No. 1 player in tennis, was seen maskless in a photoshoot event for a commemorative stamp made on his honor on Dec. 16, the day of his supposed positive COVID-19 test, The Daily Beast reported.

He was also seen a day after his positive test at an awards ceremony in Serbia, where he hugged and posed with children while unmasked. Finally, on Dec. 18, he was seen doing an interview and photoshoot with the French magazine L’Equipe, according to al-Jazeera.

In a statement made on Wednesday, the nine-time Australian Open champion admits that he had made a mistake in his actions during that time period, and attempted to explain his actions at the time more thoroughly.

“While I went home after the interview to isolate for the required period, on reflection, this was an error of [judgment] and I accept that I should have rescheduled the commitment,” he said.

Djokovic, who is defending his Australian Open championship title, is at risk of being deported from Australia before the competition due to supposedly-false information on his forms regarding his COVID-19 status.

He has pointed the blame on this to his team, whom he says “ticked the wrong box” when filling out the form they submitted.

“This was a human error and certainly not deliberate,” said Djokovic in a statement. “The team has provided additional information to the Australian Government to clarify this matter.”

He also faces deportation due to his unvaccinated status, which is reportedly given at the discretion of Australia’s immigration minister Alex Hawke.

Australia is currently facing an Omicron-related surge in cases that are currently straining an already-overworked healthcare system, with over 6,600 healthcare workers incapacitated due to the number of positive cases they have or have encountered.