Novak Djokovic tells the truth about why he did not get the COVID-19 vaccine

Novak Djokovic made a lot of enemies during the COVID-19 pandemic when he refused to take the vaccine, citing his belief in the freedom to choose what he puts into his body. As a professional athlete, Djokovic has always been very mindful of that because a lot of things can go wrong.

Not only can your performance be impacted, but you might also end up testing positive for a banned substance. That's what happened to Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek in the past year, with the legacy of both permanently tainted by that.

Djokovic was quite open about the reason why he didn't take the vaccine, and he repeated those reasons in an interview with GQ Magazine, which did a feature on the Serbian. He said:

“I’m a professional athlete, I’m extremely mindful of what I consume, and I do regular tests, blood tests, any kind of tests. I know exactly what’s going on. So I didn’t feel a need to do that.”

This is the same thing he said initially, but the backlash was quite heavy back then because many accused the Serbian of being rather selfish. As often cited, the reason to take the vaccine is as much about protecting the community as it is about protecting yourself, but in the end, Djokovic made his choice and suffered the consequences of it.

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“I’m not pro-vaccine. I’m not anti-vax" - Djokovic clarifies his stance once more

The consequence of Djokovic not taking the vaccine was him famously having to miss events, most notably in the USA, which he couldn't enter as an unvaccinated foreign citizen. He missed the US Open and events like the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open, some of which he might have won.

He understood that it might happen and was willing to possibly negatively affect his legacy as a tennis player because that's how strong his belief in the principle of freedom of choice is. He reiterated that sentiment in the same GQ interview, explaining that he's not pro or anti-vaccine but simply pro the individual right to choose what goes into your body. He said:

“I’m not pro-vaccine. I’m not anti-vax. I am pro-freedom to choose what is right for you and your body. So when somebody takes away my right to choose what I should be taking for my body, I don’t think that’s correct.”

He stood by his principle and was branded an anti-vaxxer. Nicknames like "Novax Djokovic" sprouted, but he stood firm in his belief, and today there are many who share his views, controversy or not.