“Covid rule cheat, immigration form liar & anti-vaxxer icon Novak Djokovic loses final appeal against deportation & will be thrown out of Australia…” That’s what in 2022, Piers Morgan said following Novak Djokovic’s deportation from Australia due to his refusal to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Three years have passed, and now, Morgan has finally done what many believed he should have done a long time ago: apologize.

Just recently, Piers Morgan sat down with the 24-time Grand Slam champion for a one-on-one interview on the latest episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, yet to be released. In the teaser, Morgan, looking uncharacteristically sheepish, begins by saying he wants to make “an apology.” As always, Djokovic answers calmly, “What you said, it speaks volumes about the person that you are. I’m just saying I’m not like that.” However, what precisely caused this reckoning?

It began in 2022 when Djokovic was unable to attend the Australian Open because of the nation’s stringent COVID-19 regulations. The Serbian star was unvaccinated at the time and had his visa canceled on “health and good order” grounds. And that forced him to spend five days in an immigration hotel while appealing the decision. Eventually, he was deported and barred from competing.

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia required all visitors to get vaccinated unless they qualified for a medical exemption. Morgan, never one to hold back, criticized Djokovic harshly, insisting, “If I want to go to America, I have to take a test and show my vaccination status. That’s it. So he shouldn’t be allowed to play, right?”

He argued that as a global sports icon, Novak Djokovic had a responsibility to set an example. But was this just the beginning of a longer story of tension between media scrutiny and the tennis star’s focus?

Piers Morgan backs Novak Djokovic after Wimbledon 2024 boos

Tensions flared again last year when Novak Djokovic openly criticized the Wimbledon crowd. He accused spectators of masking boos as cheers for his opponent, Holger Rune. Frustrated by what he saw as subtle disrespect, he said, “They were, they were, I don’t accept it… I know they were cheering for Rune but that’s an excuse to also boo… Listen, I’ve been on the tour for more than 20 years, so trust me I know all the tricks. I know how it works … I’ve played in much more hostile environments, trust me. You guys can’t touch me.”

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But how did these clashes ultimately lead to a rare moment of understanding, even with his fiercest critics?

He even cut short a BBC interview to avoid repeated questions about the audience. The incident gained a lot of media reaction, including from Piers Morgan, who admitted his conflicted admiration: “Djokovic is being a monumental d— at Wimbledon this year, and I’m all here for it. He deserves way more respect than he gets from fans & media and hes obviously bored with pretending hes OK with it.” But it seems this time, Morgan is supporting him.

“I won’t treat you like this,” said Morgan about sitting with Djokovic in an interview, ” And yes as many of you have pointed out, we haven’t always been this friendly… something we finally discuss face to face. It’s a great conversation,” he tweeted.  Well, seems like we will get to know all about their conflict. It surely will give fans and critics a chance at another peek into the mind of Novak Djokovic.