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A maskless Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 ranked tennis player worldwide, was pictured hugging young players and smiling just a day after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a report.

The pro tested positive on Dec. 16, and on Dec. 17 was photographed during a ceremony at the Novak Tennis Center in Belgrade, Serbia, The Sun reported.

It wasn’t clear whether he had gotten his test results back by the Dec. 17 event, the paper noted.

The tennis star, who is unvaccinated and opposed to vaccine mandates, is being detained in a Melbourne, Australia hotel and facing deportation after border authorities revoked a vaccine exemption following his December infection.


  Djokovic was pictured meeting and greeting fans after the ceremony in Belgrade. Instagram Djokovic was pictured meeting and greeting fans after the ceremony in Belgrade. Instagram

  Various front pages of Serbian newspapers feature the tennis champion Novak Djokovic. AFP via Getty Images / Andrej Isakovic Various front pages of Serbian newspapers feature the tennis champion Novak Djokovic. AFP via Getty Images / Andrej Isakovic

He’d flown to Australia to compete in the Australian open.

Djokovic’s father, Srdjan, has said his son fell victim to a “political witch hunt,” despite meeting all conditions to enter Australia to play “at the tournament that he would have certainly won.”

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