Novak Djokovic is speaking out about how he believes he got food poisoning during his 2022 detention in Melbourne, Australia. In a new February 2025 cover interview with GQ published Thursday, Jan. 9, the professional tennis player opened up about getting detained during the Australian Open due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Novak Djokovic alleged in a lengthy GQ interview that he was “poisoned” by lead and mercury in his food while he was briefly held in Melbourne in 2022.

Australian Open begins January 12 in Melbourne, and the draws for the men’s and women’s singles are intriguing — and have thrown up some blockbuster first-round matches. The Athletic’s tennis writers,

Novak Djokovic departs a pre-Australian Open press conference after answering a question regarding comments he made in a magazine interview in which he cited being "poisoned" while in Melbourne in 2022.

Novak Djokovic was "poisoned" by the food he ingested while detained during his 2022 Australian Open visa saga, the former world number one told GQ in an interview released on Thursday.

The Serbian alleged in an interview that food he was served in Melbourne led to him having high levels of lead and mercury.