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Novak Djokovic has said he’s not part of the anti-vax movement, but he would rather miss out on future tennis honors than be forced into getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
Speaking to the BBC, Djokovic said that he still feels so strongly over his right to choose whether he is vaccinated or not that he would be willing to forgo playing in tournaments like Wimbledon and the French Open. “That is the price that I’m willing to pay,” he said.
“The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else,” he added.
The Serbian tennis star’s comments come after he was deported from Australia last month after becoming embroiled in a row over his vaccine status.
Djokovic initially entered Australia with a medical exemption, as he had recently recovered from Covid-19, but was eventually deported on the grounds that his presence could incite civil unrest and encourage anti-vaccine sentiment.
He said he completely disagreed with that decision, and also took the opportunity to dismiss claims he got Covid on purpose so he would be let into Australia in the first place.
“No-one is lucky and convenient of getting Covid,” Djokovic said. “Millions of people have and are still struggling with Covid around the world. So I take this very seriously, I really don’t like someone thinking I’ve misused something or in my own favor, in order to, you know, get a positive PCR test and eventually go to Australia.”
Djokovic said that ultimately he’s not against vaccines, but as an elite, professional athlete he has always carefully reviewed what he puts into his body and based on the information he has, and has decided not to get the Covid-19 jab so far.
The men’s world number one added that he was “keeping [his] mind open” about getting vaccinated at some point, “because we are all trying to find collectively, a best possible solution to end Covid”.
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