World number one Novak Djokovic has declared his opposition to vaccination as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt tennis tournaments and sporting leagues.
Speaking in a Facebook chat with various other Serbian athletes, Djokovic said he doesn't support vaccination and would need to consider his options if it was compulsory to take a vaccine in order to play tennis again.
“Personally I am opposed to vaccination and I wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel,” Djokovic said.
“But if it becomes compulsory, what will happen? I will have to make a decision.
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"I have my own thoughts about the matter and whether those thoughts will change at some point, I don’t know.
“Hypothetically, if the season was to resume in July, August or September, though unlikely, I understand that a vaccine will become a requirement straight after we are out of strict quarantine and there is no vaccine yet.”
The latest news from the medical industry is that a vaccine won't be ready until next year.
Tennis' governing bodies have suspended all tournaments until at least July 13, with Wimbledon being cancelled completely for the first time since World War Two.
The French Open has been pushed back from May 24-June 7 to September 20-October 4.
A decision on the US Open - which is scheduled for August 31-September 13 - will be made in June, but USTA CEO Mike Dowse says it's unlikely the tournament will be played in front of empty stands.
Djokovic has been active on social media over the past week, appearing in Instagram Live chats with Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka.
He has also been at the forefront of discussions about a tennis player relief fund while no tournaments are being played.
In news revealed over the weekend, Djokovic and the ATP Player Council have proposed a sliding scale of player payments to aid players ranked between 250 and 500 in the world.
News that the 17-time Grand Slam champion is apparently an anti-vaxxer quickly spread on social media.
I was today years old when I found out Novak Djokovic is an anti-vaxxer
— Camille B. Naredo (@camillenaredo) April 20, 2020
I had not previously known that Novak Djokovic was anti-vaccination. Hmm. https://t.co/JpNeCJB0ql
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) April 20, 2020
for a man with as many early-career ailments as djokovic, I’m amazed he’s anti-modern medicine https://t.co/SvLlw6j5R9
— adrian crawford (@Crawf33) April 20, 2020
The world number one tennis player is an anti vaxx flog. He shall now be know as No-Vax Djokovic
— Gareth Olver 〓〓 (@GBO26) April 20, 2020
I didn't previously know that Novak Djokovic was an anti-vaxxer....
— Pete Borkowski (@PeteB_93) April 20, 2020
And yet somehow, I always knew it. It was just one of those things that just made so much sense though you never thought about it but were not at all surprised when you found out because it just fit. https://t.co/rHoegzhI8T
Discovering that Djokovic is an anti-vaxxer has caught me by surprise.
— Richard Ings : 🇦🇺 ISOLATE NOW PLEASE 🇦🇺 (@ringsau) April 20, 2020
I hope he enjoys playing tennis only in Serbia or Monaco or wherever he calls home. https://t.co/dP2Ur6peWJ
