• Tennis star’s controversial opposition to Covid-19 vaccination

Novak Djokovic and the Covid-19 vaccination dilemma

• During the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour’s shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in a Facebook live stream with other Serbian athletes hosted in April 2020, Djokovic indicated he opposes vaccination and would not be forced to take a Covid-19 vaccine just to be able to return to the tour
• He later clarified his remarks by stating that he is not against all kinds of vaccines, but that he is against forced vaccination, and that he prefers vaccines that have few side effects
• He also admitted that he was not an expert on vaccines and their side effects. But he has said he was extremely careful about what he puts into his body. He even dislikes taking painkillers
• Djokovic’s views came under increased scrutiny in late 2021, in the run-up to the 2022 Australian Open, after comments made by Australian Government officials indicated that tennis players would need to be vaccinated to enter the tournament
• Prior to the tournament, Djokovic had refused to state publicly whether he was vaccinated or not, but had made comments stating his concern over the possibility of a hotel quarantine in Australia
• However, while being interviewed by the Australian Border Force in January 2022, Djokovic confirmed to the officer interviewing him that he was unvaccinated
• In an interview with the BBC on 15 February 2022, a few weeks after the tournament, Djokovic stated he does not associate with the wider anti-vax movement

# However, he supported an individual’s right to choose whether or not they receive a vaccine # He reaffirmed his refusal to receive a vaccine, and said he is willing to forego entry into any tennis tournament if the tournament, or the country it is being held in, forbids unvaccinated players from participating, reported Wikipedia   Djokovic was infamously deported from Australia before the Australian Open on 8 January 2022. He then missed the chance to defend his title Novak Djokovic has lost another one of his major sponsors as the fallout from his continued refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19 continues. According to Sportico, a sports’ project management company, UKG has ended its three-year partnership with the world No.1. Since 2019 UKG or Ultimate Kronos Group is an American multinational technology company with dual headquarters in Lowell, Massachusetts, and Weston, Florida, USA. The technology firm partnered with Djokovic in early 2019 when it was known as Ultimate Software, before the business merged with Kronos. His patch partner The partnership was reportedly part of a push into the tennis world that also included sponsoring the Miami Open, reported Sam Goodwin of Yahoo Sports yesterday (10). “The sponsorship agreement was already planned to expire this year and we mutually agreed there would be no renewal,” a UKG spokesperson said this week. UKG was one of Djokovic’s patch partners on the sleeve of his Lacoste shirts, along with Peugeot. In March, Peugeot also severed ties with the 20-time grand slam champion. Stellantis too withdraws Patch partnerships are said to be among the most lucrative for tennis players, and can be worth as much as $ 10 million (Rs. 3.5 billion). It has been reported that Djokovic’s sponsorships and endorsements total around $ 42 million (Rs. 15 billion) per year. Lacoste sticking with him Djokovic was sporting UKG patches on his sleeve while playing in Dubai in February, but not at Monte Carlo or the Madrid Open in recent weeks. Carlos Tavera, CEO of Peugeot’s parent company Stellantis, confirmed in March that they had also ended their partnership with Djokovic. However Lacoste appears to be sticking by the Serbian star for now. Hublot awaits They are believed to be his most lucrative partner and can be worth as much as $ 10 million annually. His other remaining sponsors include Head, Asics, Hublot, and Raiffeisen Bank. “We are waiting to see what his position is, with regard to all that he went through,” Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe previously told Reuters. Individual choice The principle of vaccines is that it’s something private. We value personal freedom. “Everyone can decide. One can be in favour or against. That’s our position.” Djokovic was infamously deported from Australia before the Australian Open and missed the chance to defend his title. Will play in French Open He was also forced to skip Masters 1000 events at Indian Wells and Miami, USA because he was denied entry into the country. He only recently made his return to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour for the clay-court season and will be allowed to play the French Open. Djokovic turns spotlight on Alcaraz Meanwhile, Djokovic has hailed Carlos Alcaraz the “best player” of the season so far and said the Spanish teenager is one of the “main favourites” for Roland Garros. Djokovic, who opens his Rome campaign against Russia’s Aslan Karatsev, lost to Alcaraz in the semifinals in Madrid last weekend and paid tribute at a press conference. He’s the best After taking out Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, Alcaraz picked up his fourth title of the year on Sunday (8) with victory over world No.1 Alexander Zverev in the final. He became the youngest player since the start of the ATP Tour in 1990 to beat three top-five players at the same event. Very calm player “So far he’s the best player in the world, no question, this year with the results that he’s been doing,” Djokovic said at the Italian Open. “The way he was dealing with the pressure in our match a few days ago, how calm he was all the way until the end, was impressive. He deserved to win the trophy.” Alcaraz hit a career-high ranking of No. 6 on Monday (9) and leads the tour with 28 wins against three losses in 2022.