Djokovic trains while under investigation in Australia 1:20
(CNN) -
Novak Djokovic's participation in the Australian Open gave a different panorama to the tournament.
The world's No. 1 tennis player was detained in Australia last week over a dispute over his visa and his covid-19 vaccination status, and on Tuesday published a lengthy statement addressing his activities in December 2021.
Here is a timeline of events so far.
The controversy of Novak Djokovic and the Australian Open
November 2021
November 18th
Djokovic gets a temporary entry visa to Australia to compete in the Australian Open, a tournament the 34-year-old has won nine times.
Djokovic applied for the visa sometime in October or November 2021.
November 29th
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt allegedly writes to Australian Open tournament director and Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley stating that a covid-19 infection alone in the last six months - without a vaccination Complete - does not meet the requirements for free quarantine entry into the country, according to a leaked letter that was published in local Australian media.
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Djokovic poses with the trophy after his victory at the 2020 Australian Open.
December 2021
December 7th
Tennis Australia reportedly sends a letter to players stating that a covid-19 infection in the past six months, along with an attached letter from a doctor, would qualify as a valid medical exemption;
and noting that players have until December 10 to submit their medical exemption requests, according to a leaked letter that was published in local Australian media.
December 14th
Djokovic attends a basketball game in Belgrade, after which several people were reported to have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement posted on Djokovic's verified Instagram account on January 12, 2022.
December 16
Djokovic undergoes a rapid antigen test - which comes back negative - and also undergoes an official and authorized PCR test "as a precaution," according to Djokovic's statement.
Djokovic's PCR test result is positive that same day, according to a copy of the test result in his affidavit, but his Jan. 12 statement says he did not receive notification of the positive PCR test result until after a tennis event on December 17th.
Later, Djokovic is photographed in three events, according to images published on the official social networks of his foundation, and none of the participants wears a mask.
Djokovic in action during the Davis Cup semi-final between Serbia and Croatia, in Madrid in December 2021.
December 17
Djokovic attends a tennis event in Belgrade to present awards to the children, having previously undergone a rapid antigen test, which came back negative, according to Djokovic's statement.
The Facebook page of the Belgrade Tennis Association publishes several photos of Djokovic with a group of young people at a tennis awards ceremony.
In one of the photos there are at least 26 people - most of them young - posing with him.
No social distancing measures are observed and masks are not worn.
At some point after the event, Djokovic receives notification of a positive PCR test, according to his statement.
Dec. 18
Djokovic is at his tennis center in Belgrade to meet an interview and photo shoot for L'Equipe.
In his statement, he says that he socially distanced himself and that he wore a mask, except when photographs were taken.
Journalist Franck Ramella and photographer Etienne Garnier were not told that Djokovic tested positive for COVID-19 before, during or after the interview with the tennis star in Belgrade, the French sports newspaper reported on January 12.
The L'Equipe article claims that Ramella has since tested negative for COVID-19.
He does not mention Garnier's state of health.
December 22th
Djokovic tests negative for the virus, according to his affidavit.
December 23th
Djokovic has antibodies against the coronavirus, according to a document issued by the Serbian Institute of Public Health, which supports the tennis player's claim that he had recovered from covid-19 when he arrived in Australia for the Australian Open.
CNN contacted the Serbian Institute of Public Health in Belgrade to ask if the antibodies could have come from a previous infection in June 2020.
December 30
Djokovic receives a medical exemption from Tennis Australia that allows him to enter Australia without the COVID-19 vaccine and without quarantining himself, arguing that he has just recovered from COVID-19, according to court documents.
Before the year is out, videos and images appear showing Djokovic in Spain and Serbia in the two-week period before traveling to Australia.
Djokovic had marked "No" on a travel statement when asked if he had traveled in the 14 days prior to his arrival in Australia, according to court documents obtained by CNN.
January 2022
January 1
Djokovic's team submits his travel statement to the Australian Home Office, which notifies them that it has been assessed and that he is authorized to arrive without quarantine, according to the affidavit.
January 2
Djokovic receives a border travel permit from the Victoria state government, according to his affidavit, where Melbourne is located and where the Australian Open will be held.
January 5
After leaving Spain the day before, Djokovic arrives in Melbourne around midnight.
They take his passport and accompany him to a small room where border control agents interview him, according to the affidavit.
January 6th
The Australian government cancels Djokovic's visa and takes him to a temporary detention center at Melbourne's Park Hotel, according to the affidavit.
Police stand guard at the government detention center where Djokovic was held on January 7, 2022.
At a press conference, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirms and reads the letter sent on November 29 by Health Minister Hunt to Tennis Australia, stating that a single covid-19 infection in the last six months has not meets the requirements for free entry from quarantine.
January 10
Djokovic's hearing begins, in which the judge decides to annul the cancellation of his visa and order his release.
However, the judge claims that Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke reserves the right to deport Djokovic.
January 11
The Australian Border Force (ABF) is investigating whether Djokovic submitted a false travel declaration before arriving in Australia.
12th of January
Djokovic says his team provided additional information to the Australian government to clarify the matter of his travel statement.
However, ABF officials are investigating possible inconsistencies in documents related to the result of Djokovic's PCR test in December, as well as the tennis player's movements in the days after he tested positive for COVID-19 in Serbia, he told CNN a source with knowledge of the investigation.
Australian Open 2022Novak Djokovic
