Novak Djokovic deserves "apology" from Australian government after AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine withdrawal, says Kevin Pietersen in now-deleted post

Former cricketer Kevin Pietersen said that Novak Djokovic deserved an apology from the people who criticized him in light of AstraZeneca withdrawing their COVID-19 vaccine. However, the 43-year-old deleted his post not long after.

Djokovic has been very vocal about his stance against being vaccinated against COVID-19 and this also resulted in him landing in a major visa controversy ahead of the 2022 Australian Open.

The Serb was eventually not allowed to stay in Melbourne and was subsequently deported to his homeland. He later also missed that year's US Open, as well as the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami in 2022 and 2023.

AstraZeneca have withdrawn their COVID-19 vaccine named "Vaxzveria", with reports claiming that it caused side effects like blood clots and low blood platelet counts.

In light of this, Kevin Pietersen said that Djokovic deserved an apology from the people who criticized him for his vaccination stance and the Australian Government. The Englishman has since deleted his post.

"It’s time for every single person (who criticised) and the Australian government to issue an apology to @DjokerNole now. I think that would be fitting as he went through HELL! It seems he was onto something," Pietersen wrote.

Kevin Pietersen's deleted tweet

Novak Djokovic's fitness was lauded by Kevin Pietersen after Wimbledon 2023 final

The Serb practising in Rome ahead of the Italian Open

Novak Djokovic won three out of four Grand Slams in 2023, with his only defeat coming in the Wimbledon final.

The Serb entered the tournament as the second seed and booked his place in the final following wins over Pedro Cachin, Jordan Thompson, Stan Wawrinka, Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner.

Here, he faced top seed Carlos Alcaraz and lost a thrilling final 6-1, 6(6)-7, 1-6, 6-3, 4-6.

Kevin Pietersen heaped praise on Djokovic's fitness, flexibility and power at the age of 36 at the time.

"My takeaway from yesterday’s tennis should be, how does @DjokerNole keep his body so unbelievably fit, flexible & powerful at 36. It’s very rare and he must be doing something right. I wish I’d looked after my body during my playing days like he does," the former cricketer said.

Pietersen also lauded Djokovic's mental strength and resilience in his desire not to be vaccinated.

"There was incredible mental strength & resilience to not wanting the vaccine. This I know first hand as we had many discussions on this. He is so particular in what he eats/drinks. You watched his speech! He is a special person and we should enjoy every time he steps out onto the court in the future," Pietersen said.

Djokovic has won 11 out of 15 matches so far this season. He is yet to win a title, with his best performance being reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Serb is scheduled to compete at the Italian Open and he will face either Corentin Moutet or Roman Safiullin in the second round on May 10.