Novak Djokovic admitted to attending an interview and photoshoot while COVID-positive, and said his agent accidentally ticked the wrong box in his immigration form

• Tennis star Novak Djokovic said he attended an interview in December while knowing he had COVID-19.
• He also attended a children's sports event while waiting for the results of his COVID-19 PCR test on December 17.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has admitted to attending a photoshoot and interview in his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia, after being told he had tested positive for COVID-19.

The ranked No. 1 player wrote in a Tuesday evening statement on Instagram that the photoshoot and interview on December 18 were part of a "long-standing" commitment with French sports daily L'Equipe.

Djokovic said he felt obliged to continue with the arrangement because he "didn't want to let the journalist down," despite having been notified that his PCR test result had come back positive.

A post shared by Novak Djokovic (@djokernole)

"On reflection, this was an error of judgment, and I accept that I should have rescheduled this commitment," he wrote, adding that he had canceled all other appointments that day.

He also said he attended a children's sports awards event in Belgrade on December 17 while waiting for the results of a PCR test he'd taken on December 16. During that event, he was reportedly maskless.

Djokovic added that he took two rapid antigen tests before the children's event, both of which showed a negative result.

"I want to emphasize that I have tried very hard to ensure the safety of everyone and my compliance with testing obligations," he wrote, in what he described as an effort to address "continuing misinformation" around his recent activity.

"Human error" caused travel form mistake, says Djokovic

The 20-time Grand Slam winner is also under fire for submitting inaccurate information about his movements before arriving in Australia for the Australia Open.

Djokovic's travel declaration form stated that he hadn't traveled in the 14 days before his flight to Australia, but footage showed him in both Belgrade and Spain in the two weeks before his trip.

The tennis player attributed the discrepancy to an "administrative mistake" made by his agent, who Djokovic said ticked the wrong box while filling out the form on his behalf.

"This was a human error and certainly not deliberate. We are living in challenging times in a global pandemic, and sometimes these mistakes can occur," Djokovic wrote in his Instagram post.

His team on Tuesday gave the Australian authorities additional information to clarify the matter, he said.

Djokovic had his visa revoked when he arrived in Australia after border authorities said he "failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet the entry requirements to Australia." A transcript of his interview with border agents revealed that he had tested positive for COVID twice — the other time being in June 2020.

But the decision to cancel his visa was overturned on Monday by an Australian court. However, the country's immigration minister could still opt to have him banned from entering the country for up to three years.

On Monday, his family bizarrely cut short a press conference when asked about Djokovic's event attendance while he was tested positive. As Insider's Barnaby Lane reported, they concluded the press event by linking arms and singing a Serbian folk song.