Novak Djokovic's Covid tests taken before the Australian Open were not falsified, says Serbian authorities
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Published 03/02/2022 at 08:53 GMT
Novak Djokovic's Covid tests prior to the Australian Open were valid, Serbian officials have confirmed. Two separate studies had suggested the tests' numbers were out of the typical sequence, but the Belgrade Public Prosecutor's Office revealed that the Serbian Ministry of Health have verified them. Djokovic is set to compete at the Dubai Tennis Championships later this month.
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Novak Djokovic's Covid-19 tests taken prior to the Australian Open in December were valid, according to Serbian authorities.
A BBC report had cast doubt on the sequencing of the tests that were submitted to Australian officials ahead of the 34-year-old's unsuccessful attempt to play in the Australian Open.
That investigation had in turn built on an initial study by German research group Zerforschung that claimed that Djokovic's first PCR test on 16 December - which came back positive - had a higher code than the second one - which came back negative - on December 22.
But the Belgrade Public Prosecutor's Office - having received confirmation from the country's Health Ministry and after inspecting the electronic database in question - has declared them to be accurate.
The prosecutors said on Wednesday: "It was established that Novak Djokovic was tested multiple times and the test results from December 16 and December 22 were valid."
Djokovic was ultimately deported from Australia having seen his visa cancelled after appeal. The grounds given by the judge were however to do with his unvaccinated status at the time, rather than any suspicion over his documentation.
Djokovic's next move looks likely to be an appearance in the Dubai Tennis Championships running from 14-26 February, given there is no requirement to be vaccinated to compete.
It will be the Serb's first competitive tournament in 2022, and he will no doubt have extra motivation to get match practice after seeing Rafa Nadal go ahead in the Grand Slam rankings .
The next major isn't until Roland Garros in May, but there remains huge uncertainty over whether Djokovic will be allowed to compete there if he remains unvaccinated.
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