Novak Djokovic says he would rather miss the French Open and Wimbledon than receive a COVID-19 vaccine, dismissing his being denied entry into Australia to compete in the Australian Open last month.
“I was never against vaccination, but I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body,” the 20-time Grand Slam winner told the BBC.
Djokovic claimed to have a medical exemption for the vaccine, but his visa was denied when he tried to enter Australia, according to the BBC. He was also recovering from COVID-19 at the time.
The Serbian is currently the top-ranked tennis player in the world, but he was surpassed by Rafael Nadal for most grand slam titles when the Spaniard won his 21st major in Melbourne last month.
Djokovic says he is willing to put the grand slam chase on hold if tournaments continue to require vaccination to enter.
“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.
Djokovic says he is “keeping his [mind] open” on getting vaccinated against the coronavirus.
“I was never against vaccination. I understand that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing, hopefully, an end soon to this virus,” he said.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Peter Santo can be reached at psanto@washingtontimes.com.
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