Serbia’s prime minister Ana Brnabic says it is up to Novak Djokovic to explain a “grey area” over his COVID-19 test result.
As the drama continues to unfold over the star’s movements after his apparent positive test in mid-December and inaccuracies on his Travel Declaration Form upon entering the country, the Serbian leader has weighed in.
LIVE UPDATES: Deported star conflicted after Djokovic court win
READ MORE: Djokovic trains in secret after ‘uncomfortable’ interaction
READ MORE: IOC major sponsors mostly muted in run-up to Beijing Winter Olympics
In an interview with the BBC, Brnabic said If Djokovic went out knowing he had a positive PCR result, it would be a “clear breach” of Serbia’s rules, but deferred to the tennis champion over the “grey area” around his diagnosis.
“If you’re positive you have to be in isolation,” Ms Brnabic said.
“I do not know when he actually got the results, when he saw the results, so there is some grey area… the only answer to this can be provided by Novak.”
Serbian COVID-19 regulations mandate a full 14-day self-isolation period, unless the person who has tested positive receives a negative PCR test result during that period.
The Serbian prime minister said she would have to consult with “relevant authorities, and the medical people” to find out if the nine-time Australian Open champion was found to have breached Serbia’s isolation rules.
While describing Djokovic as “one of the great champions of Serbia” the politician said she did not agree with the player’s stance on vaccination.
“What matters to me is that we stand by Novak… but at the same time say that for the country and for me as the prime minister that vaccination is important,” she said.
When asked what would happen if Djokovic was found to have breached quarantine rules, she said the Serbian government would “deal with it”.
“In the end, they made public a part of Novak’s medical documentation, which I am not even sure was fair on their part to make it public, because it is not fair to make anyone’s medical documentation public, unless they had Novak’s explicit consent for that,” the prime minister added.
The Serbian leader, who recently spoke with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, said she was “neither optimistic nor pessimistic” about Djokovic’s chances of being allowed to stay in his bid to win a record 21st Grand Slam title.
“I hope that final decision will be announced soon,” she said.
“Uncertainty is not good for any of the stakeholders, neither Djokovic nor the Australian Open.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!