Novak Djokovic said this week that he is willing to sacrifice trophies in order to ensure he doesn’t get the Covid vaccine. Djokovic was unable to take part in the 2022 Australian Open last month after a 10-day saga with Australian officials and the country’s government over his visa. The world No 1 men’s player was forced to leave the country before the tournament. This week, he told the BBC: “I was never against vaccination, but I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.”
Asked why he would be willing to miss future tournaments, he added: “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.”
Djokovic’s vaccine stance attracted widespread criticism, and last month American radio star Howard Stern suggested that the Serbian should be “thrown out” of the sport.
He said: “That f***nut Djokovic. What a f****** asshole.”
“The first I’ve heard of this guy is that he doesn’t want to get his vaccine. They should throw him right the f*** out of tennis. That’s it. Goodbye.”
Stern claimed that Djokovic “could be lying” about having been infected with the virus.
He added: “You should be out of tennis. He doesn’t care about anyone else.
“Stay away from other people. That’s like saying smoking is a private decision. Well, that’s true. But don’t smoke in my face f***nut. What a dummy. Just a big dumb tennis player.
“If you wanna talk tennis, I’ll talk to you. Other than that, you should shut your mouth.”
In this week’s BBC interview, Djokovic apologised for breaking Covid rules by attending an interview despite knowing he was positive for the virus.
He was interviewed by French newspaper L’Equipe on December 18, and also took part in a photoshoot.
READ MORE: GB News: Novak Djokovic slammed amid ongoing Covid vaccine row
The Serbian star will be unable to play at Roland Garros as things stand because of France’s recent adoption of Covid passports.
However, it is believed he should be able to compete at Wimbledon in June.
This week, Djokovic was mocked by RyanAir on social media.
Djokovic insisted he is not part of the anti-vax movement and maintained he supports the “freedom to choose” what goes into his body.
In response, Ryanair quote-tweeted the BBC’s interview with Djokovic alongside the comment: “We’re not an airline, but we do fly planes”.
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