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Djokovic assures that he will give up playing the tournaments where he is forced to be vaccinated against the coronavirus

2022-02-15T13:43:07.387Z


The Serbian breaks his silence in an interview with the BBC in which he stresses that he is not against immunization, but that he supports each individual choosing how they fight covid: "My body is more important than any title"


Novak Djokovic has broken his silence in an interview granted exclusively to the BBC, a month after he was deported from Australia after having tried to enter that country irregularly, according to judicial authorities.

The 34-year-old tennis number one states that he does not consider himself an anti-vaccine activist, but that he supports individual freedom of choice when it comes to immunizing against the coronavirus.

In this way, Nole anticipates that he will go to the end and that, if necessary, he is willing to miss the rest of the season before being forced to receive a dose.

To the specific question of whether he would be willing to give up competing at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, the Serbian is categorical: "Yes, that is the price I am willing to pay."

On January 16, Djokovic was expelled from the oceanic country after losing a court battle that lasted 11 days and in which his visa was revoked twice.

Three judges of the Federal Court of Australia determined that his presence represented "a threat to public health" and the current king of the circuit could not compete in the first major of the season, the Australian Open.

Until then, he, Rafael Nadal (35 years old) and Roger Federer (40) were tied for 20 major tournaments, but the Mallorcan's subsequent victory broke the tie and placed him at the head of the world race for the first time in the men's tennis.

In addition to not being able to defend the title obtained a year earlier, the Balkan missed out on the competition.

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PUBLISHER |

The irresponsibility of Novak Djokovic

“I was very sad and disappointed with how things turned out for me in Australia.

It was not easy ”, reveals Djokovic in the meeting with the BBC, which offered a first preview early this Tuesday and that today will broadcast the interview in its entirety starting at 9:30 p.m. (at 8:30 p.m. British time, through BBC One).

“I understand that there is a lot of criticism and that there are people who come out with theories about the luck or convenience of that positive.

But no one is lucky enough to catch the coronavirus.

Millions of people around the world continue to fight this disease.

So I take it very seriously.

I don't like anyone thinking that I did something for myself to get a positive PCR so I can travel to Australia,” he adds.

03:32

Chronology of the 'Djokovic case'

Djokovic, on January 11 during training at Melbourne Park. Photo: MARTIN BUREAU (AFP) |

Video: EPV

“I have never been against vaccination, but I have always supported the freedom to decide what you put in your body,” adds the Serbian, now exposed to losing the throne of the circuit in favor of the Russian Daniil Medvedev, who can take it away from him. next week if he wins the Acapulco tournament.

Under the current regulations, Djokovic will be able to compete in the short term in Dubai (from the 21st to the 26th of this month), but not in Indian Wells (from the 14th to the 20th of March) or Miami (from the 28th to the 3rd of April);

then,

a priori

, I would find the door open in Monte Carlo (from 10 to 17, because less than four months would have elapsed since the positive registered on December 16), Belgrade (from 18 to 24) and Madrid (from May 1 to 8, You can enter Spain under two circumstances: one, because you are a resident of Monaco and the other, because you are a professional athlete), but not at the Foro Italico in Rome (from 8 to 15).

Alessio D'Amato, the Minister of Health of the Lazio Region, argued this Tuesday: “If we had all reasoned like Djokovic, we would have died in the streets.

Only thanks to vaccines can we look to the future with confidence, and individual decisions must always coincide with the general interest”, reports

Daniel Verdú

.

From a deeper perspective, the horizon is even darker for the Serbian, since his decision not to get vaccinated will prevent him from playing at Roland Garros (from May 22 to June 5) and the US Open (date not specified, but at end of August).

In other words, right now the only major trophy he could opt for would be Wimbledon (from June 27 to July 10).

“Principles” before trophies

The one from Belgrade, winner of 86 titles as a professional and in possession of the record for weeks (360) as number one, as well as record holder (37, for Nadal's 36) in the Masters 1000, says he trusts that the rules of some tournaments change in the future and thus be able to "play many more years" on the circuit.

"The principles of the decisions I make about my body are more important than any title or any issue," he justifies.

“I try to be consistent with my body.

I have always studied well-being, health, nutrition... ”, defends Djokovic, who assures that thanks to this he has managed to be the athlete he is today.

Diet (he is a vegetarian), meditation (he follows the guidelines of the guru Pepe Imaz in Marbella) and rest, says the tennis player, have been key in his career.

“I have an open mind”, he comments on the possibility of being vaccinated in the future, “because we are all trying to find a collective solution to end the coronavirus”, he concedes.

“I was never against vaccinations.

I understand that globally, everyone tries to make an effort to manage the virus and see if, fortunately, it ends, ”adds Djokovic, who since his expulsion from Melbourne has remained in Belgrade and last week already advanced, after a meeting with the prime minister from his country, Aleksandar Vukic, who would offer an explanation of what happened within seven or ten days.

Among other things, about the irregularities that were detected in the access form to Australia.

"They were not done on purpose," he says.

In fact, he assures, he was not deported "because he was not vaccinated, or due to an error in the visa, all of which was approved by the General Court of Australia."

The ultimate reason for his expulsion, he says, "was that the Immigration Minister [Alex Hawke] used his powers to cancel a visa based on the perception that I might create an anti-vaccine sentiment in the country or in Melbourne, something in which I completely disagree."

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Djokovic against the world, again

At the time, Djokovic claimed that he had a medical exemption to access Melbourne.

However, Hawke canceled his visa on the grounds that he could stir up the anti-vaccine movement.

“The applicant (Djokovic) was able to get vaccinated long before he learned of his contagion, in mid-December [on the 16th, according to the tennis player].

The fact of not having done it reflects his will in an obvious way.

For this reason, the minister considers that his permanence in Australia may motivate others to want to follow his example, a circumstance that would pose a clear risk to society, ”explained Stephen Lloyd, the government representative at the hearing that ended with the definitive expulsion. of the tennis player

During the brief stay in the country, Nole was accompanied by his team and came to train several times at the Melbourne Park facilities,

Lloyd also referred to the interview given by the Serbian to the French newspaper

L'Equipe

, on December 18 in Belgrade, the day after receiving the result of the PCR test that confirmed his contagion.

"Despite being aware that he had tested positive, he went through with the engagement, even removing his mask at the time the photo was taken," Lloyd added.

In addition to this circumstance, Djokovic lied in his entry statement in Australia: he answered "no" to the question of whether he had traveled in the 14 days prior to his arrival, on Wednesday, January 5, when in fact he had been in Belgrade so much as in Marbella, where he owns a home and is usually prepared in the facilities of the Puente Romano hotel.

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Source: elparis

All sports articles on 2022-02-15

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