"I'm Not Anti-Vaxxer": Novak Djokovic Hints At Skipping Future Tournaments Over Vaccine Mandate

World no 1 ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic, who was in the eye of the storm in Australia last month where he was scheduled to defend his Australian Open title but was deported over his COVID-19 vaccine status has indicated that Melbourne may not be the only tournament he could miss.

In an interview with the BBC, Djokovic said that he is willing to not take part in tournaments if he is asked to be vaccinated.

AFP

"Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay," the Serbian who was on the verge of creating history by becoming the first to win 21 grand slams said.

"Because the principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else. I'm trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can," he said.

The 34-year-old was tied with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with 20 grand slams against their names and was the odds on favorite to make it 21 first.

Couldn't participate in Australian Open

Instead, the Serbian who was first allowed to play in the Australian Open after being granted a medical exemption from the country's vaccine mandate was detained on arrival after Australia revoked his visa.

AFP

Djokovic who has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 had stated that he had a recent infection, which exempted him from taking the jab, which was mandatory to enter Australia.

However, the Australian government said that the exemption was only for citizens and not foreigners visiting the country.

Later, it was also revealed that Djokovic had attended several public events without wearing masks when he had said that he was COVID-19 positive.

Following a legal battle, the court sided with the Australian government and upheld the visa cancelation.

Reuters

After this Djokovic was deported from Australia and had more bad news to follow.

French and British authorities also hinted that an unvaccinated Djokovic was not welcome at the French and Wimbledon this year.

This, however, seems to have little effect on the Serbian.

What Djokovic said

Djokovic, however, told the BBC that he was not an anti-vaxxer.

"I was never against vaccination, but I've always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body," he said.

AFP

Interestingly, he did not rule out the possibility of being vaccinated in the future and said he was "keeping [his] mind open".

Djokovic also hinted that he is not hanging up the boots soon and hoped vaccination requirements in certain tournaments would change, adding that he was hoping that he "can play for many more years".

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