Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic is strict in his opinion on vaccination against covid, even if he misses important tournaments because of his attitude. However, according to his coach Goran Ivanišević, that does not make him the leader of the anti-vaxxer movement. “He doesn’t tell others that vaccination is bad. He only made the decision for himself,” the Croatian coach explained in the latest interview.
When, during Wimbledon, at which Novak Djokovic won his twenty-first Grand Slam title, prominent journalist Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times called the Serbian tennis player a kind of “representative of anti-vaxers”, using the English term “antivax poster boy”, there was an uproar on the internet.
Jelena Djokovic came to her husband’s defense, telling Rothenberg on Twitter: “You called him the leader of anti-vaxxers, but he simply chose what was best for his body. And if he doesn’t play for that, he’s done with it.”
“You are creating a very judgmental story that suits your agenda. I hope no one will judge you for this, that you will not become the leader of a movement of hatred and bullying. You never know. You are also an influential person, so please do not be a constant disappointment,” Djokovic’s wife did not hold back .
Ivanišević has now also commented on the anti-vaxxer label.
“I respect Novak for making a decision that he won’t change no matter what. If someone says that he has a bad influence on people, they are wrong. He doesn’t want to get vaccinated, he doesn’t want to inject anything like that into his body, but he never advised others, so that they don’t get vaccinated,” said the man who shocked by winning Wimbledon in 2001 and became the only winner of the tournament starting on a wild card for the newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija.
Ivanišević drew attention to many contradictions, mentioned infected players from among those vaccinated at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. And he described the past years as a mentally demanding period full of great pressure, regardless of vaccination.
“I’m vaccinated, so it shouldn’t be a problem for me, but… They’ve been terrorizing us for two and a half years. When you get infected, it’s like having scabies. They’ll throw you and your team out and hang you on the wall of shame,” said Djokovic’s coach disagreeing with the strict rules at tennis tournaments.
The Serbian champion could not play the Australian Open this year. He traveled to Melbourne believing he had met the conditions for the exemption. But in the end, the local government banned him from starting. He was held in a detention facility and eventually deported.
Now Djokovic is in real danger of coming to the final Grand Slam of the season, the US Open in New York. According to the currently valid rules, travelers to the USA must be fully vaccinated, and must present the certificate before boarding the plane.
The tennis public loudly supports the native of Belgrade, and a petition with almost 40,000 signatures is calling for a way to allow Djokovic to start.
However, Ivanišević considers the chances of changing the rules to be slim. “It is more likely that I will win the Croatia Open in Umag than that Novak will be allowed to play in the USA,” Ivanišević joked bitterly.
Djokovic himself hopes only in the corner of his soul. He is resigned to the fact that the American tennis holiday will not affect him.
“I’ll wait for good news. I’m not vaccinated and I don’t plan to be, so the good news could be the cancellation of the mandatory green vaccination card or the granting of an exemption. But it’s not very realistic,” he said after his Wimbledon triumph.
The US Open last week included Djokovic on the tournament entry list, but in one breath abdicated any responsibility in the final decision.
“The US Open does not have vaccination requirements in place for players, but will respect the US government’s stance on travel to the country for unvaccinated non-US citizens,” organizers said.
–
