Novak Djokovic has said he 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 24-times major winner had his visa cancelled ahead of the tournament following days of drama over Australia’s COVID-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status, and was detained in a Melbourne hotel shared with asylum-seekers.

He was initially granted a visa exemption but it was revoked by the Australian Border Force, which lead to the Serbian star being held in hotel detention.

“I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne, I was fed with some food that poisoned me,” Djokovic told GQ.

“I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I was, I had a really high level of heavy metal. Heavy metal.

“I had the lead, very high level of lead and mercury.”

GQ said Australia’s Department of Home Affairs had declined to comment on the matter, citing privacy reasons.

The Serbian champion said he was a “public threat” and became “a hero” for a growing sentiment against vaccination in Australia.

“That’s the actual reason why I was deported from Australia,” he said.

“It was so political. It had nothing really to do with vaccine or COVID-19 or anything else. It’s just political.

“The politicians could not stand me being there. For them, I think, it was less damage to deport me than to keep me there.”

Djokovic told Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper this week that he still had trauma from his experiences three years ago and felt stress arriving at the city’s airport.

During his interview with GQ, Djokovic talked about the days prior to his visa cancellation, when he was in Melbourne preparing for the Australian Open.

“I was in a rented house and I was followed by police everywhere I went, and I had the helicopter hovering around the centre court where I was training. I was not allowed to access the locker room, main locker room,” he said.

“So they had to find an alternative locker room for me to change and take a shower and get me out of the site. So I was kind of like a fugitive there.”

Djokovic returned to Australia in 2023 and claimed the Australian Open title for the 10th time.

He said his family holds resentment against Australia for the 2022 saga, but he does not.

“I never held any grudge over [the] Australian people. In contrary, actually, a lot of Australian people that I meet, I met in Australia the last few years or elsewhere in the world, coming up to me and apologising to me for the treatment I received because they were embarrassed by their own government at that point,” he said.

“And I think the government’s changed and they reinstated my visa and I was very grateful for that.

“It’s a new prime minister and new ministers, new people, so I don’t hold any grudge 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.”

The 37-year-old begins his campaign for a record-extending 25th major title at the Australian Open next week.

Reuters/ABC