AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Djokovic ‘poisoned’ before Australian Open
Novak Djokovic has alleged that he was “poisoned” with lead and mercury in his food while being detained briefly in Melbourne in 2022, shortly before his deportation on the eve of the Australian Open.
The former world number one had his visa revoked and was ultimately expelled from Australia due to his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. During his legal battle to stay, Djokovic was held in a detention hotel.
“I had some health issues. And I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne, I was fed some food that poisoned me,” Djokovic told GQ magazine in a detailed interview published on Thursday. “I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discovered that I had a really high level of heavy metal. I had lead, a very high level of lead and mercury.”
When asked whether he believed the contamination came from the food provided to him, Djokovic responded, “That’s the only way.” Djokovic declined to elaborate further when questioned on Friday in Melbourne about any potential evidence connecting his elevated heavy metal levels to the food served in detention.
However, he did not backtrack on his claim. “The GQ article came out yesterday … I’ve done that interview many months ago,” Djokovic said while preparing for another attempt at an 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam victory. “I would appreciate not talking more in detail about that because I’d like to focus on the tennis and why I am here. If you want to see what I’ve said and get more info on that, you can always revert to the article.”
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Home Affairs stated that individual cases could not be discussed “for privacy reasons.” However, the government maintains that the Park Hotel, where Djokovic was held, follows a lease agreement ensuring freshly prepared, individually portioned meals for detainees. According to the department, catering staff at the hotel have food safety certifications, and as of 31 December 2021, food samples from every detainee meal were retained by the contractor responsible for detention services.
They also noted that detainees were provided with a variety of nutritious, culturally appropriate options meeting specific medical or dietary requirements. Breakfast items such as bread, cereal, noodles, tea, and coffee were available around the clock. Despite the controversy surrounding his deportation, Djokovic emphasised he harbours no resentment toward Australians. He returned to Melbourne the following year and claimed the Australian Open title.
“A lot of Australian people that I met in Australia the last few years or elsewhere in the world, have come up to me, apologising to me for the treatment I received because they were embarrassed by their own government at that point,” he shared in the GQ interview. “And I think the government’s changed, and they reinstated my visa, and I was very grateful for that.”
“I actually love being there, and I think my results are a testament to my sensation of playing tennis and just being in that country,” he added. However, Djokovic noted that he has not encountered the officials responsible for his deportation. “Never met the people that deported me from that country a few years ago. I don’t have a desire to meet with them. If I do one day, that’s fine as well. I’m happy to shake hands and move on.”
-Inside The Games
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Jannik Sinner who won the 2024 US Open, begins his Australian Open title defence against Nicolas Jarry while women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on 2017 U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens after the draw for the year’s first Grand Slam was made at Melbourne Park on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic launches his latest bid for a record-extending 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown against U.S. wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy but his path to the Melbourne Park final will not be an easy one.
In the third round, Djokovic could face Reilly Opelka, the big-serving American who beat the Serb in Brisbane this week, while third seed Carlos Alcaraz is a potential opponent in the quarter-finals.
Spaniard Alcaraz, who added the French Open trophy to his collection in 2024, begins his campaign to capture the one Grand Slam that has eluded him when he meets Alexander Shevchenko.
World number one Sinner must hit the ground running after being paired with Chilean Jarry, who beat the Italian in their first meeting in 2019 and took him to three sets in a losing effort in Beijing last year.
Women’s second seed Iga Swiatek plays Katerina Siniakova while third seed Coco Gauff faces an early challenge against fellow American Sofia Kenin, the Australian Open champion in 2020.
Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, runner-up last year, meets a qualifier first up and is on a collision course with Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.
Two-times champion Naomi Osaka meets Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in a rematch of their first-round encounter last year which the Japanese player lost in straight sets shortly after her return to the tour from a long maternity break.
There are question marks over Osaka’s fitness, however, after an abdominal injury forced her to quit while leading Clara Tauson in her first WTA final in almost three years in Auckland on Sunday.
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, who has struggled with injuries since losing to Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, is due to take on Jacob Fearnley but his return to Melbourne Park remains in doubt due to an abdominal strain.
Fellow Australian Alex de Minaur has a difficult opener against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, who stunned Alcaraz at last year’s U.S. Open.
The main draw gets underway on Sunday.
–Reuters
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Naomi Osaka retired from the final of the Auckland Classic with an abdominal injury on Jan 5, a blow to the Japanese star just a week before the start of the Australian Open.
Playing in her first WTA final for three years, against Denmark’s Clara Tauson, the four-time Grand Slam champion called for the physiotherapist after taking the opening set 6-4 and pulled out shortly afterwards.
Osaka’s withdrawal from the Australian Open warm-up event came as a shock after playing with no apparent problem in the 35-minute first set, unleashing powerful groundstrokes to break her opponent in the third and fifth games.
At the changeover, the 27-year-old stood and performed a series of stretches during a medical timeout. After consulting with the trainer, she shook the hand of Tauson, who picked up a third career title and her first since 2021.
Osaka did not divulge details of what forced her withdrawal in a short courtside interview.
However, in a statement, the WTA said that she retired “due to an abdominal injury”.
“I just want to thank everyone for welcoming me to such a beautiful city and I had a lot of fun playing here and I’m really sorry about how it ended,” Osaka said.
“I hope you did enjoy the tennis that we did play and I’m just really grateful to be here.”
It was an anti-climactic finish to the week for the former world No. 1, who was chasing her first title in four years since winning the 2021 Australian Open.
Her most recent final appearance was at the Miami Open the following year, before taking a 15-month break and giving birth to her first child midway through 2023.
She returned to tennis 12 months ago and has climbed to 57th in the world rankings.
Osaka arrived in Auckland professing that her “deep love” of tennis was returning and voiced confidence about the possibility of a strong campaign at the year’s first Grand Slam, starting in Melbourne on Jan 12.
She appeared to find her rhythm as the Auckland tournament progressed, sweeping past four lower-ranked opponents, but it was not meant to be in the end.
Fifth seed Tauson, meanwhile, conceded she had been outplayed in their lone set.
“I felt like today she was picking up an even higher level so I’m super sad about the way it ended,” the 50th-ranked Dane said. “She’s right to put her health first, always.
“It’s the worst final I’ve ever played emotionally because I can’t feel happy and I’m just sad about what happened. But of course when I process this, I’m going to be super happy about my week.”
Elsewhere, reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka geared up for her title defence with a battling 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Russian qualifier Polina Kudermetova in the final of the Brisbane International.
The world No. 1 from Belarus appeared off the pace against her opponent initially and lost the first set by dropping her serve for a second time.
The 26-year-old appeared much more like her usual dominant self in the second set as she forced a decider, much to the delight of fans at a packed Pat Rafter Arena.
Sabalenka offered another reminder of her calibre by breaking in the third set with a sharp crosscourt forehand winner and staved off a late comeback attempt from Kudermetova to claim her first title of the season.
The three-time Major singles champion was clearly in a good mood afterwards, making a lighthearted comment about the speed of their game.
“I want to congratulate Polina on an impressive week. From qualities all the way to the finals. Congrats to you and your coach,” she said.
“And I really want to know the speed of all our shots today. I think it beat the record for sure.”
-AFP/ Reuters
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List of Australian Open women’s singles champions since the event began in 1922 (Australian unless stated):
2023 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) bt Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) 4-6 6-3 6-4
2022 Ash Barty bt Danielle Collins (U.S.) 6-3 7-6(2)
2021 Naomi Osaka (Japan) bt Jennifer Brady (U.S.) 6-4 6-3
2020 Sofia Kenin (U.S.) bt Garbine Muguruza (Spain) 4-6 6-2 6-2
2019 Osaka bt Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 7-6(2) 5-7 6-4
2018 Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Simona Halep (Romania) 7-6(2) 3-6 6-4
2017 Serena Williams (U.S.) bt Venus Williams (U.S.) 6-4 6-4
2016 Angelique Kerber (Germany) bt S. Williams 6-4 3-6 6-4
2015 S. Williams bt Maria Sharapova (Russia) 6-3 7-6(5)
2014 Li Na (China) bt Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 7-6(3) 6-0
2013 Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) bt Li 4-6 6-4 6-3
2012 Azarenka bt Sharapova 6-3 6-0
2011 Kim Clijsters (Belgium) bt Li 3-6 6-3 6-3
2010 S. Williams bt Justine Henin (Belgium) 6-4 3-6 6-2
2009 S. Williams bt Dinara Safina (Russia) 6-0 6-3
2008 Sharapova bt Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 7-5 6-3
2007 S. Williams bt Sharapova 6-1 6-2
2006 Amelie Mauresmo (France) bt Henin 6-1 2-0 (retired)
2005 S. Williams bt Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) 2-6 6-3 6-0
2004 Henin bt Clijsters 6-3 4-6 6-3
2003 S. Williams bt V. Williams 7-6(4) 3-6 6-4
2002 Jennifer Capriati (U.S.) bt Martina Hingis (Switzerland) 4-6 7-6(7) 6-2
2001 Capriati bt Hingis 6-4 6-3
2000 Davenport bt Hingis 6-1 7-5
1999 Hingis bt Mauresmo 6-2 6-3
1998 Hingis bt Conchita Martinez (Spain) 6-3 6-3
1997 Hingis bt Mary Pierce (France) 6-2 6-2
1996 Monica Seles (U.S.) bt Anke Huber (Germany) 6-4 6-1
1995 Pierce bt Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain) 6-3 6-2
1994 Steffi Graf (Germany) bt Sanchez Vicario 6-0 6-2
1993 Seles (Yugoslavia) bt Graf 4-6 6-3 6-2
1992 Seles bt Mary Joe Fernandez (U.S.) 6-3 6-4
1991 Seles bt Jana Novotna (Czechoslovakia) 5-7 6-3 6-1
1990 Graf bt Fernandez 6-3 6-4
1989 Graf bt Helena Sukova (Czechoslovakia) 6-4 6-4
1988 Graf bt Chris Evert (U.S.) 6-4 6-4
1987 Hana Mandlikova (Czechoslovakia) bt Martina Navratilova (U.S.) 7-5 7-6(1)
1986 no competition
1985 Navratilova bt Evert 6-2 4-6 6-2
1984 Evert bt Sukova 6-7(4) 6-1 6-3
1983 Navratilova bt Kathy Jordan (U.S.) 6-2 7-6(5)
1982 Evert bt Navratilova 6-3 2-6 6-3
1981 Navratilova bt Evert 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5
1980 Mandlikova bt Wendy Turnbull 6-0 7-5
1979 Barbara Jordan (U.S.) bt Sharon Walsh (U.S.) 6-3 6-3
1978 Chris O’Neil bt Betsy Nagelsen 6-3 7-6(3)
1977 (Dec) Evonne Goolagong Cawley bt Helen Gourlay Cawley 6-3 6-0
1977 (Jan) Kerry Melville Reid bt Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat 7-5 6-2
1976 Goolagong Cawley bt Renata Tomanova (Czechoslovakia) 6-2 6-2
1975 Goolagong Cawley bt Navratilova (Czechoslovakia) 6-3 6-2
1974 Goolagong Cawley bt Evert 7-6(5) 4-6 6-0
1973 Margaret Court bt Goolagong Cawley 6-4 7-5
1972 Virginia Wade (Britain) bt Goolagong Cawley 6-4 6-4
1971 Court bt Goolagong Cawley 2-6 7-6(0) 7-5
1970 Court bt Melville Reid 6-1 6-3
1969 Court bt Billie Jean King (U.S.) 6-4 6-1
1968 King bt Court 6-1 6-2
1967 Nancy Richey (U.S.) bt Lesley Turner Bowrey 6-1 6-4
1966 Court bt Richey (walkover)
1965 Court bt Maria Bueno (Brazil) 5-7 6-4 5-2 (retired)
1964 Court bt Turner Bowrey 6-3 6-2
1963 Court bt Jan Lehane O’Neill 6-2 6-2
1962 Court bt Lehane O’Neill 6-0 6-2
1961 Court bt Lehane O’Neill 6-1 6-4
1960 Court bt Lehane O’Neill 7-5 6-2
1959 Mary Carter Reitano bt Renee Schuurman Haygarth (South
Africa) 6-2 6-3
1958 Angela Mortimer Barrett (Britain) bt Lorraine Coghlan
Robinson 6-2 6-4
1957 Shirley Fry Irvin (U.S.) bt Althea Gibson (U.S.) 6-3 6-4
1956 Carter Reitano bt Thelma Coyne Long (U.S.) 3-6 6-2 9-7
1955 Beryl Penrose Collier bt Coyne Long 6-4 6-3
1954 Coyne Long bt Jenny Staley 6-3 6-4
1953 Maureen Connolly Brinker (U.S.) bt Julia Sampson Hayward (U.S.) 6-3 6-2
1952 Coyne Long bt Helen Angwin 6-2 6-3
1951 Nancye Wynne Bolton bt Coyne Long 6-1 7-5
1950 Louise Brough (U.S.) bt Doris Hart (U.S.) 6-4 3-6 6-4
1949 Hart bt Wynne Bolton 6-4 6-4
1948 Wynne Bolton bt Marie Toomey 6-2 6-1
1947 Wynne Bolton bt Nell Hall Hopman 6-3 6-2
1946 Wynne Bolton bt Joyce Fitch 6-4 6-4
1941-45 No competition
1940 Wynne Bolton bt Coyne Long 5-7 6-4 6-0
1939 Emily Hood Westacott bt Hall Hopman 6-1 6-2
1938 Dorothy Cheney (U.S.) bt Dorothy Stevenson 6-3 6-2
1937 Wynne Bolton by Hood Westacott 6-3 5-7 6-4
1936 Joan Hartigan bt Wynne Bolton 6-4 6-4
1935 Dorothy Round Little (Britain) Nancy Lyle Glover 1-6 6-1 6-3
1934 Hartigan bt Margaret Molesworth 6-1 6-4
1933 Hartigan bt Coral Buttsworth 6-4 6-3
1932 Buttsworth bt Kathleen Le Messurier 9-7 6-4
1931 Buttsworth bt Marjorie Cox Crawford 1-6 6-3 6-4
1930 Daphne Akhurst Cozens bt Sylvia Lance Harper 10-8 2-6 7-5
1929 Akhurst Cozens bt Louise Bickerton 6-1 5-7 6-2
1928 Akhurst Cozens bt Esna Boyd Robertson 7-5 6-2
1927 Boyd Robertson bt Lance Harper 5-7 6-1 6-2
1926 Akhurst Cozens bt Boyd Robertson 6-1 6-3
1925 Akhurst Cozens bt Boyd Robertson 1-6 8-6 6-4
1924 Lance Harper bt Boyd Robertson 6-3 3-6 8-6
1923 Margaret Molesworth bt Boyd Robertson 6-1 7-5
1922 Molesworth bt Boyd Robertson 6-3 10-8
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