Tennis star Novak Djokovic has admitted making a false declaration on a travel form prior to entering Australia.
In a statement posted on Instagram, he said his agent had made a mistake when filling in a section of the form that covered his recent travel history.
His entry form stated that he had not travelled in the 14 days before his arrival in Australia on 6 January.
But reports suggest the 34-year-old had travelled to Serbia and then to Spain prior to the trip.
“My agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box,” he wrote. “This was a human error and certainly not deliberate.”
His statement comes as the Australian government considers whether to deport him.
Djokovic – who is hoping to defend his Australian Open title next week – had his visa to revoked by authorities on his arrival amid questions over his apparent vaccine exemption.
On Monday, however, a judge dramatically overturned the decision and ordered the release of the tennis star from detention.
In the Instagram post on Wednesday, Djokovic also admitted meeting a French journalist last month when he knew he had Covid-19. He described the decision as an “error of judgement”.
But he said other reports about him appearing in public following his positive test on 16 December were “misinformation”.
“I felt obliged to go ahead and conduct the L’Equipe interview as I didn’t want to let the journalist down, but did ensure I socially distanced and wore a mask except when my photograph was being taken,” he said.
“On reflection, this was an error of judgement and I accept that I should have rescheduled this commitment.”
