Wimbledon Champ in Quandary Over Possible Vaccine

Published by Andy Magrath in Tennis News · Friday 24 Apr 2020 · 1:45
Tags: Novak, Djokovic, Wimbledon, Champion, Djokovic, Career, Over

Wimbledon Champion, Novak Djokovic faces a dilemma about taking a possible mandatory COVID-19 vaccine supplied to every ATP and WTA player once the tours recommence according to ESPN News.

Chatting live on Facebook to fellow Serbian Athletes Djokovic said:

"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. But if it becomes compulsory, what will happen? I will have to make a decision. 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."

Both Wimbledon and the US Open have already been cancelled so the likelihood of the rest of the Tour will follow suit is highly likely.

"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,"

"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."

The hypothetical quandary for Novak is that both he and his wife Jelena advocate natural healing techniques rather than adopting vaccines. But with a mainstream vaccine not yet on the horizon and with the remaining 2020 major tournaments cancelled it is more than probable that tennis won’t reconvene until next year anyway.

READ MORE: Djokovic keeping an open mind on vaccine

ESPN.com