Novak Djokovic: "The media has not been very nice to me because there is an agenda; I have to deal with it and do what I do best"

Novak Djokovic recently opened up about the ordeal he has gone through this year amid the vaccination controversy, while also slamming the media for peddling an agenda against him.

Given his position on not receiving the vaccine against the virus, Djokovic has been under intense media scrutiny of late. The Serb was deported from Australia ahead of the Australian Open, and was not allowed to take part in the US Open either.

But despite severe criticism, Djokovic is adamant about not getting vaccinated. Following his title win in Tel Aviv last week, the 35-year-old gave an interview to Guy Azriel of i24NEWS and reflected on his unvaccinated status. He said that being a believer in freedom of choice, he should have the right to choose what is best for his body.

"I stay true to my values and to things that I believe in and I believe in freedom of choice and I believe that everyone should have possibility to choose what they would to do their bodies, so I made my decision," Djokovic said.

The World No. 7 also pointed out how being unvaccinated had cost him a place at two Grand Slams, but claimed that he was ready to face the consequences for staying true to his values and beliefs.

"That meant that I am not going to two Grand Slams and that's fine you know. It is what it is. I will take the consequence of that but I will stay true to what I believe in," he added.

Djokovic also shed some light on the difficulties he faced at the hands of the media. He stated that he was "unfortunate" to go through such times, and also accused the media of not being "very nice" to him.

"On the other hand you know that the spotlight that you mentioned unfortunately this year it created a lot of negative spotlight," the Serb said. "The media has not been very nice to me, but I kind of expected it because the media is not always so nice when there is an agenda in terms of strategy."

The 21-time Grand Slam winner went on to state that he needs to shut out the critics by going out and doing what he does best.

"So I have to just deal with it and swallow it, and go out on the court and do what I do best, and that's playing tennis," he said.

"It's very important to win as many matches as I can for my confidence level and feelings" - Novak Djokovic on boosting his confidence

Novak Djokovic at the Tel Aviv Open

Novak Djokovic etched his name in history after adding another feather to his cap in Israel. The Serb won the 89th ATP singles title of his career, the second most among active players, by beating Marin Cilic, 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Tel Aviv Open.

The 35-year-old spoke about achieving his goals at a press conference after his semifinal in Tel Aviv. Reflecting on not being able to play a lot of ATP matches in the last couple of weeks, the Serb made it clear that it was important for him to win every match he played.

"Every win helps. In the last three months I have not played any tournament. Wimbledon was the last one, so it's very important to win as many matches as I can for my confidence level and feelings," Djokovic said.

"I came here with the intention of playing four singles matches and that's what I'm going to have."

The Serb will next take part in the Astana Open in Kazakhstan and will face Cristian Garin in the round of 32.