Serbian prosecutors deny claims Novak Djokovic used fake positive Covid tests

Serbian prosecutors have rejected claims Novak Djokovic used faked positive Covid tests to try and enter Australia and compete in the Australian Open.

Having tested positive for coronavirus in December, the unvaccinated world No.1 applied for medical exemption and was successfully granted one although he was later deported from the country over Covid vaccination rules, not on the grounds that the documents were allegedly falsified.

But the Serbian prosecution office, upon receiving a request for criminal proceedings against unnamed individuals who allegedly forged two PCR certificates, have dismissed the claims.

‘The prosecution acted according to the regulations, checks were performed, and it was determined that Novak Djokovic was tested several times and that the certificates on the test results from 16 December 2021 and 22 December 2021 are valid,’ the statement said.

The BBC had reported discrepancies in the serial numbers of the tests Serbian authorities administered to Djokovic, suggesting the serial numbers were out of sequence with others from the same time period.

Despite Djokovic’s reason for applying for a medical exemption to play Down Under on the basis of having recently tested positive, the 34-year-old came under fire after admitting to flouting Serbian isolation rules once he returned a positive result.

The nine-time Australian Open champion took to Instagram to explain his rule break after testing positive on December 16 in his homeland only to be seen maskless at an event days later.

‘I want to emphasise that I have tried very hard to ensure the safety of everyone and my compliance with testing obligations,’ Djokovic wrote on Instagram.

‘I attended a basketball game in Belgrade on December 14 after which it was