Piers Morgan has issued an on-air apology to Novak Djokovic after calling him a 'Covid rule cheat' following his Australian Open controversy.
Djokovic missed the 2022 Australian Open because of the country's strict Covid-19 regulations.
The Serbian tennis star, who was not vaccinated against the virus, had his visa cancelled by the Australian government on 'health and good order' grounds.
He was forced to stay at an immigration hotel for five days while he unsuccessfully appealed against the decision and was eventually forced to leave Australia.
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At the height of the pandemic crisis, visitors entering the country had to be vaccinated unless they had a medical exemption.
At the time of the Covid-19 drama, Morgan pulled no punches in his assessment of Djokovic.
"If I want to go to America, I have to take a test and show my vaccination status. That’s it," he exclaimed.
"So he shouldn’t be allowed to play, right? It stops you from dying. I mean that’s the whole point of the vaccine.
"He’s also a role model who will definitely deter a lot of people who perhaps should have the jab."
Morgan doubled down on his stance as he slammed Djokovic on social media.
Writing to his eight million followers on X, he said: "BREAKING: Covid rule cheat, immigration form liar & anti-vaxxer icon Novak Djokovic loses final appeal against deportation & will be thrown out of Australia without being able to compete in Aus Open. Good."
But the 60-year-old has issued an apology to Djokovic following his comments as he sat down with the former world No.1 in a one-to-one on the latest episode of the Piers Morgan Uncensored show.
The 38-year-old replied: "What you said, it speaks volumes about the person that you are. I’m just saying I’m not like that."
The full sit-down will air on YouTube on Tuesday, but the teaser clip sheds a light on the wide-ranging interview.
Djokovic talks about his doubts competing against the best players in the world today, including Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, potentially playing against his 11-year-old son and Sinner's doping violation, among other topics.
Topics: Novak Djokovic, Tennis
Nasir Jabbar