Djokovic: “I’m giving up on becoming the greatest tennis player of all time so as not to get vaccinated”
Novak Djokovic assures you of don’t be no-vax but he also says he is willing to give up the next tennis tournaments rather than getting vaccinated. The Serbian tennis player, number one in world tennis, strongly emphasized in an exclusive interview with Bbcon the right of choice of the individual; and when asked if he’s ready to sacrifice participation in competitions such as Wimbledon or the French Open (we had anticipated it here) rather than getting vaccinated he showed no doubts: “Yes, that’s the price I’m willing to pay”.
With 20 triumphs in the tests of Grande Slamthe Serbian tennis player was expelled from Australia in the past few weeks after the government canceled his visa due to his vaccination status. “I’ve never been against vaccinations“, he explained, confirming that he had vaccinated as a child;” but I have always supported the freedom to choose what to put in your body “.
In the wide-ranging interview, the first since he was detained in Melbourne in January (we summarized the story here), Djokovic addressed the speculation about the timing of his positive Covid case in December and discussed their attitude towards the vaccine. Djokovic said that he hoped the vaccination requirements in some tournaments would changeadding that he hoped “to be able to play for many more years”.
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But he also confirmed to be willing to give up the chance to statistically become the greatest tennis player of all time. “Because the principles of decision making about my body are more important than any title or anything else. I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as possible.” Djokovic also claimed to have been “always a great student of wellness, health, nutrition“and that his decision was partly influenced by the positive impact factors such as changing his diet and sleep patterns had on his abilities as an athlete.
The Serb further said he was trying to “be open minded” about the possibility of be vaccinated in the future, “because we are all trying to collectively find the best possible solution to end Covid”. “I have never been against vaccination. I understand that globally, everyone is trying to make a great effort to manage this virus and hopefully see an end to this virus soon.”
More than 10 billion doses of vaccines have been administered Covid and approx six out of 10 people globally have had at least one. So there is a wealth of information but Djokovic says he doesn’t have enough information on the “vaccine”. In addition, the Serbian tennis player spoke of the speculations that occurred on the sequence of events of the Australian Open in January. “I understand that there is a lot of criticism and I understand that people come up with different theories about how lucky he was or how convenient it is,” he acknowledged. “But no one is lucky to contract Covid. Millions of people have taken it and are still struggling with Covid around the world. So I take it very seriously, I don’t really like someone thinking they have abused something or in my favor, in order to get a positive PCR test and eventually go to Australia. “
Djocovic expelled from Australia: “Not because I wasn’t vaccinated, I’ll explain the real reason”
“I was really sad and disappointed by the way it all ended for me in Australia, “he said.” It wasn’t easy. “His request for medical exemption was filed anonymously and was accepted by two independent Australian panels. However there was a separate travel declaration, which included an error. “Absolutely, thevisa declaration error it was not committed deliberately, “Djokovic said.” It was accepted and confirmed by the Federal Court and by the Minister of Immigration in Australia himself. So in reality, what people probably don’t know is that I was not expelled from Australia because I was not vaccinated, or I have broken any rules or made a mistake in my visa declaration. All of this has actually been approved and validated by the Federal Court of Australia and the Minister of Immigration.
The reason I was expelled from Australia was because the immigration minister used his discretion to cancel my visa based on his perception that I could create anti-vax sentiment in the country or in the city, which I do not completely agree with, “concluded Djokovic.