Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic came out as an anti-vaxxer Sunday, saying that he would be against a requirement to vaccinate as a result of the novel coronavirus.
Djokovic, 32, spoke about the possibility of a mandatory vaccination in order to return to the sport during a Facebook live chat Sunday, Reuters reported. The 17-time Grand Slam champion said he would “have to make a decision” about his future as a tennis professional if that were the case, as he is “opposed to vaccination.”
“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 Sunday according to Reuters. “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.” (RELATED: Former World Number One Tennis Player Caroline Wozniacki Announces Retirement)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia poses during the 2020 Australian Open Men’s Trophy Media Opportunity at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria on February 03, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have not said whether a vaccine will be necessary for tennis to return. Wimbledon, one of the sport’s four Grand Slams, has been cancelled because of the virus for the first time since World War II.
The French Open, another Grand Slam, is postponed until September. The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin play August 24 and the situation is being monitored, CNN reported.