A day after his anti-vaccination remarks, tennis world No 1 Novak Djokovic on Tuesday explained that he will keep an open mind and continue to research about the topic in relation to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Serb said that if vaccination becomes mandatory while travelling in the near future, he will take an appropriate decision, reported the The Associated Press.
Djokovic said in a statement emailed to AP on Tuesday: ‘’Personally, I am opposed to the vaccination against Covid-19 in order to be able to travel. But if it becomes compulsory, I will have to make a decision whether to do it or not. This is my current feeling, and I don’t know if it will change, but it really influences my profession.”
A vaccine isn’t available for the time being but former greats such as Amelie Mauresmo said world tennis tours shouldn’t restart until there is one. Djokovic, in a live Facebook chat with fellow Serb players on Sunday, created an uproar when he said that if he wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take vaccination once tennis resumes.
Djokovic said many tennis players and other athletes have asked him for his opinion on this situation. “I have expressed my views because I have the right to and I also feel responsible to highlight certain essential topics that are concerning the tennis world,” he said.
Djokovic and his wife Jelena promote natural healing.
“I am no expert, but I do want to have an option to choose what’s best for my body,” he said. “I am keeping an open mind, and I’ll continue to research this topic because it is important and it will affect all of us.”
Prominent Serbian epidemiologist Predrag Kon said Djokovic should not have made anti-vaccination statements because of his huge public influence in his native country, the report added.
Djokovic won the Australian Open, his 17th Grand Slam singles title to close in on great rivals Rafael Nadal (19) and Roger Federer’s (20) tally, and the ATP suspended its tour in March because of the global coronavirus outbreak.
“Personally I am opposed to the vaccination against Covid-19 in order to be able to travel. But if it becomes compulsory, I’ll have to make a decision whether to do it, or not. This is my current feeling. I don’t know if it will change, but it really influences my profession,” he is quoted as saying through his management agency by the New York Times.