Novak Djokovic has said he is ready to miss the French Open, Wimbledon and other tournaments if he is asked to get a vaccine against the Corona virus to compete.
In an interview with the BBC Broadcast on Tuesday, the Serbian tennis star said he believes in the freedom to choose vaccination and that being able to decide what goes on in his body is “more important than any title or anything else”.
Mr Djokovic said he understood his vaccination status meant he was “unable to travel to most tournaments at the moment”, but added, “This is the price I am willing to pay”.
Mr Djokovic’s decision to remain unvaccinated came weeks later He was unable to compete in the Australian Openmay delay his quest To win more Grand Slam titles from his competitors. (Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal holds the record number 21 at the Grand Slam at the Australian Open.)
French authorities said last month that Players must be vaccinated to compete in the French Open, the next of the four Grand Slam tournaments. Mr Djokovic may be able to compete at Wimbledon in June, but according to recent guidelines, he may not be able to compete in the US.
Mr Djokovic told the BBC that he was not against vaccinations in general and that he did not want to be associated with the anti-vaccination movement, but that his decision was a personal one.
“As an elite professional athlete, I have always reviewed and evaluated everything that comes from supplements, the food, the water I drink, or sports drinks — anything, really anything that enters my body as fuel,” he said. “Based on all the information I have, I have decided not to take the vaccine as of today.”
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