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Novak Djokovic has not officially disclosed his vaccination status.
The number one in world tennis, Serbian Novak Djokovic, is in the midst of a great controversy after having his visa revoked to participate in the Australian Open that begins on January 17.
The athlete received an exemption from the vaccination requirements against covid-19, something that aroused the ire of Australians and a political and diplomatic fight that for the moment is pending resolution.
But What did Djokovic really say about vaccines?
The 34-year-old Serbian star has not officially disclosed his coronavirus vaccination status, but has made clear his opposition to vaccines in the past.
In April 2020, long before covid vaccines became available, Djokovic said he was opposed to vaccination.
He later clarified his position by admitting that he is not “an expert” and noted that he keeps an “open mind” but wants to have “the option to choose what is best” for his body.
During a Facebook Live, he explained that he would not like “to be forced by someone to get vaccinated” to travel or compete in tournaments.
He added that he is curious “about well-being and how we can boost our metabolism to be in the best shape to defend ourselves against imposters like covid-19.”
Image source, EPA
Djokovic’s supporters have shown up outside the hotel where he is supposedly being temporarily detained.
In Djokovic’s native country, where less than half the population is estimated to have the full vaccination schedule, his comments were criticized at the time by the government epidemiologist, Predrag Kon, who accused the tennis player of creating “wrong ideas”.
Questionable science
Djokovic has a track record when it comes to questionable scientific theories.
In his book “Serve to win”, Djokovic described how in 2010 he met with a nutritionist who asked him to hold a piece of bread in his left hand while pressing on his right arm.
Djokovic claims that he felt much weaker while holding the bread and cited this as proof of his gluten intolerance.
And during an Instagram Live, he claimed that positive thinking can “clean” contaminated water, adding that scientists “have shown that molecules in water react to our emotions.”
According to Dr. David Nunan, a researcher at the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford, “In the balance of probabilities it is highly unlikely that these statements are true, at least not under the current conventions of scientific theory and practice. “
Earlier in the pandemic, Djokovic’s wife shared the 5G conspiracy theory on Instagram. His publication received the disinformation label from the social network.
Anti-vaccine activists
Defended by his followers and by Serbian politicians, Djokovic’s visa dispute has mobilized anti-vaccine activistsAlthough the tennis player has never explicitly supported them in their most extreme positions.
Image source, Getty Images
Anti-vaccine groups have expressed their support for the Serbian player.
In Telegram groups in which anti-vaccine theories are promoted, he is presented as a hero and a symbol of freedom of choice.
Twitter users have been grouped under hashtags in support of the player and to call for a boycott of the Australian Open.
An influential account linked to conspiracy theories denounced that the athlete is “a political prisoner” and posed: “If this is what they can do to a multimillionaire superstar, what could they do to you?”
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.