Novak Djokovic responds to Piers Morgan's apology as he insists he was 'misinterpreted' over Australian Open Covid scandal after broadcaster's 'liar and cheat' tweets

Novak Djokovic accepted an apology from Piers Morgan after he was branded a 'liar and cheat' after the Serbian tennis star was deported from the 2021 Australian Open over a Covid scandal.

In an interview with Morgan nearly four years on, Djokovic maintained that his views on covid vaccinations had been 'misinterpreted' after he his deportation from Australian generated global headlines. 

Then Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke denied Djokovic entry into the country three years ago because he was not fully vaccinated.

Djokovic was detained at Melbourne's Park Hotel for five days as he challenged the decision before he was sent home.

The decision denied Djokovic the chance to defend his Australian Open title, before he returned in 2023 to win the Grand Slam event for the 10th time.

Morgan had been among those to take aim at Djokovic's stance at the time, with the broadcaster issuing a stinging rebuke of the Serbian tennis star. 

'BREAKING: Covid rule cheat, immigration form liar, & anti-vaxxer icon Novak Djokovic loses final appeal against deportation & will be thrown out of Australia without being able to compete in Aus Open. Good,' he tweeted at the time.

Morgan had teased his interview with Djokovic on an apology he made on his Piers Morgan Uncensored show, with the sit down beginning with the broadcaster admitting he had been 'censorious' and had not known the full facts of the case.

'I was very censorious about you over the covid scandal you got caught up in,' Morgan began his apology.

You got thrown out of Australia over what seemed on the face of it – from what the media were told and what was being reported – was you trying to bend the rules of getting in to play the Australian Open without having taking the covid vaccine.

I was quite censorious about a lot of people at the time and have since apologised to some people for being too tough on them, once it became clear that if you had the vaccine it made no difference to whether you could transmit the virus.

Clearly at that point for me it becomes a personal choice, if the danger is irrelevant as to whether you have had the jab or not. I believe the vaccines were important, I think they saved a lot of lives, I had a lot of people in my life who were going through a terrible time with covid.

‘It felt quite personal to me, visceral to me, but I was too censorious.

When more information emerged about your situation, that you had covid several weeks before you went to Australia and had not done anything wrong on the form filling, the fact it then became a political decision to throw you out based on likely public anger if they didn’t take action.

When I look back on that and reflect on that, I would like to say I am sorry for the intemperate language I used against you, because I did not know you, I took what I was reading and hearing at face value and I am sorry for over egging the rhetorical souffle.’

Djokovic accepted Morgan's apology, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion insisting he had been 'misinterpreted' at the time.

He maintained that he had not been pro or anti-vax, but instead had been in favour of 'freedom of choice' 

‘I appreciate that, for your honesty, thank you so much. It was difficult times and a state of emergency globally. I understand, you know, we've been through hell globally, all of us on this planet,’ Djokovic responded.

‘The only thing I would add not to really dig deeper into this whole situation on the Covid and vaccination is that I was never a proponent of anti-vax or pro vax. I was always freedom of choice. And that was misinterpreted.

‘I was proclaimed to be one side or the other side and so forth. It's either black or white. And I said, “It doesn't need to be that way”.

‘As an athlete, as someone that takes care of the integrity of the body and understanding of obviously doing my research and understanding that I'm not a threat to anybody and I don't need to do it myself. And I've been through two times, 2 or 3 times, I had Covid in a year and a half, so I had all the antibodies.

‘So anyway, long story short, good to finally meet you, I appreciate and I respect what you said, it speaks volumes about the person that you are.’

Djokovic's visa had been cancelled by the Australian Government after a 10-day saga on 'health and good order' grounds, with an appeal against the decision ultimately being rejected.

Earlier this year, Djokovic had claimed his deportation was down to fears from Australia's Government that he had become a 'hero' for the growing anti-vaccination movement in the country at the time.

'That’s the reason why I was deported from Australia,' Djokovic told GQ magazine in January. 'That’s what the three federal judges said in the end. Their sentence is that they are not in a position to question the discretionary right of the [immigration] minister.

'It was so political. It had nothing really to do with vaccine or COVID 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's positive covid test in December 2021 had initially earned him an exemption from Australia’s rules on unvaccinated people entering the country, with the star deemed to have had antibodies in his system.

Earlier this year, Djokovic had sensationally claimed he had been 'poisoned' while in detention in Australia, alleging he had returned to Serbia with a 'very high level of lead and mercury' in his system. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking in January, claimed Djokovic's treatment by the former federal government was 'astonishing'.

'I made comments about it at the time,' Albanese told reporters.

'I found it astonishing that in the lead-up to Christmas, Novak Djokovic was denied by the then-federal government the opportunity to see his Orthodox minister, priest during that period.

'That was something that I think was hard to justify.'

Djokovic would ultimately return to the Australian Open in 2023 and claimed a record-extending 10th title at the event. 

To watch the full interview go to Piers Morgan Uncensored go to https://www.youtube.com/PiersMorganUncensored