Novak Djokovic's controversial meeting with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. amid Miami Open draws 2-word reaction from tennis insider

Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg has shared his thoughts on Novak Djokovic's recent meeting with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. While competing in the 2025 Miami Open, Djokovic took time off from the court to greet the well-known anti-vaccine figure.

The six-time Miami Open champion is competing in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament for the 14th time. The fourth seed received a first-round bye and won against Rinky Hijikata 6-0, 7-6(1).

He continued his campaign with a 6-1, 7-6(1) win over Camilo Ugo Carabelli, advancing to the Round of 16, where he will face 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti. If he wins, he will advance to the quarterfinals against either 24th seed Sebastian Korda or the Jaume Munar vs. Gael Monfils winner.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services posted a picture of the pair on his X (formerly Twitter) account, where they stood side by side with their rackets.

"Novak Djokovic. First in tennis. First in integrity. First in courage. Guess who won this match?" Kennedy Jr. captioned his post.

With the Serb's own history of vaccine controversy, the meeting quickly went viral on social media. Here are some reactions:

"Anti-vaxxer who:- caused a measles outbreak in Samoa that k*lled 83 children. - claimed that COVID was genetically modified to not affect Chinese/Jews. This plus he is accused of a bunch of horrific stuff. At this point, you can only wonder how Novak picks his friends," an X user said.

Another user wrote:

"Hitting with RFK Jr is actually insane. Like yeah let me go play with the dude who compared vaccines to the holocaust, spews conspiracy garbage 24/7 thinks wifi gives you cancer and is Trumps buddy. And people are defending this? Wait for Novaks political career babe."

Rothenberg, a critic of the Serb's anti-vax position, retweeted Kennedy Jr.'s post with the brief two-word statement:

"Entirely unsurprising."

Djokovic's pro-vaccine stance has been a source of contention for many years. It dates back to his refusal to vaccinate against COVID-19, which led to his High-Profile deportation from Australia in 2022. Despite the furor, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has defended his own choices.

Meanwhile, Kennedy Jr., a well-known anti-vaxxer who contested public health measures earlier, was sworn in as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised Novak Djokovic for his stance on vaccination

In Picture: Novak Djokovic during the 2025 Australian Open (Source: Getty)

In a 60 Minutes interview on CBS in December 2023, Novak Djokovic clarified misconceptions regarding his position on vaccination, explaining that though many accused him of being anti-vaccine, he was neither for nor against it.

"People try to declare me as an anti-vax. I am not anti-vax nor I am pro-vax. I am pro-freedom to choose," the Serb said.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. commended the Serbian tennis player for his statements, explaining that his opinion on the subject was with the latter.

"Djokovic nails it. That's my position too. Your body, your choice," Kennedy wrote on X.

In other news, Novak Djokovic set a new record for the most ATP Masters 1000 match wins (411) after his third-round victory at the Miami Open, surpassing Rafael Nadal.