Dr. Igor Četojević, MD ~ Specialist in Energetic Medicine

The doctor widely credited with helping Novak Djokovic to reach the pinnacle of tennis on Thursday criticized the decision by the Australian authorities for detaining the Serbian tennis star over covid technicalities, saying Novak is "super healthy""It's absurd that somebody who has optimal health is a threat to the health of the public," Doctor Igor Cetojevic, a Bosnian-born Serb who lives in Cyprus, told AFP.

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Australia stripped Djokovic of his visa on Friday and planned to detain him just days ahead of his bid to win a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

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Dr. Cetojevic, who spent a year on tour with Djokovic until 2011 when he won Wimbledon for the first time and became world number one, said the Serb was being treated unfairly.

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"How can a super healthy guy be a threat for the Australian Open," the 60-year-old doctor said, laughing out loud.

"It's all politics, it starts with politics, not anything else," said Dr. Cetojevic, who describes himself as a qualified medical doctor who uses energetical medicine, Chinese medicine and a holistic approach to healing.

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In his 2013 book "Serve to Win", Djokovic revealed how changing his diet on the advice of Dr. Cetojevic helped to take him to the top. "We're like precision instruments," Djokovic wrote in the book that reveals the gluten-free diet and fitness plan that transformed his career. "If I am even the slightest bit off -- if my body is reacting poorly to the foods I've eaten -- I simply can't play at the level it takes to beat these guys."

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Over the course of his stellar career, Djokovic has always sought ways to give himself an edge over his opponents.

Many of the remedies that he has turned to have been dismissed by his critics as quackery, but Dr. Cetojevic leapt to his defence.

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Asked whether Djokovic's performance would be harmed if he were to get a Covid-19 vaccine, he said: "Definitely".

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"Let's call things by their right name", he said in an interview at his home near the southern Cypriot city of Limassol. "These so-called "vaccines" are, in fact, experimental products that have not been clinically proven. I'm seeing patients these days, ordinary people who followed the recommendation to be injected who are now facing major health issues." 

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"The whole idea is to provoke the body's immune system, but... we are all different. Some people have different reactions." "If you have the best car for Formula One and you put the wrong petrol inside, what will happen? Novak understood this analogy from his experience," the doctor said.

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"He respects himself; he is aware, a smart person. He learns from his mistakes and also from good choices. Luckily, meeting me 10 years ago, his life changed."

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Dr. Cetojevic said he remains in touch with Djokovic from "time to time", but he declined to reveal if they had any contact in recent days.

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"I'm always in touch with good friends... it depends on the time and needs," he said."I'm happy that his spirits are high and that his feet are on the ground and he's healthy."

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