Novak Djokovic says he would rather miss out on grand slams than be vaccinated against Covid, in his first major interview since being deported from Australia earlier this year due to his vaccination status.
Djokovic told the BBC on Tuesday he was not anti-vaccination in general but believed people had the right to choose whether they were jabbed or not.
Asked if he would miss Wimbledon and the French Open over his vaccine stance, he replied: “That is the price that I’m willing to pay.”
“The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else,” Djokovic said. “I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can.”
Djokovic said he had “always been a great student of wellness, wellbeing, health, nutrition”.
“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.
The 34-year-old did not rule being vaccinated for Covid in the future – telling the BBC he was keeping his “mind open”.
“We are all trying to find, collectively, a best possible solution to end Covid,” he said.
Djokovic was detained when he arrived in Melbourne in early January before a legal stoush ended with his deportation on the eve of the Australian Open.
Djokovic was ultimately deported after Australia’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke, exercised his ministerial discretion to cancel the world No 1’s visa.
Hawke’s determination that Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open “may foster anti-vaccination” sentiment and cause “civil unrest” was upheld by the full federal court after the tennis star lodged a last-ditch appeal.
At the time, Djokovic said in a statement he was “extremely disappointed” with the ruling.
More to come
