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Novak Djokovic beat Nick Kyrgios 3-1 and became Wimbledon champion for the seventh time, last Sunday (10). But hours after lifting the trophy on England’s sacred grass, the Serb brought up a topic that has haunted him since the Australian Open in early 2022, when he was deported: his Covid-19 vaccine status.
– I am not vaccinated and do not intend to be vaccinated. Asking for a medical waiver is not a realistic option. I have no answers on this.
Novak Djokovic in the WImbledon final — Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
The problem is that at the US Open, where Djokovic would attempt the 22nd Grand Slam title of his career, there is a need to present proof of vaccination against Covid-19. The Serb, however, showed no concern about the situation.
– I think the question just comes down to whether or not they remove this (need for Covid vaccination) in time for me to arrive in the US. I hope to hear good news from the US, but if I can’t play the US Open, I have to see what I’m going to do. It could be the Davis Cup, the Laver Cup. I’m not going to play tournaments just to play them or to score points.
+ Grand Slam: Djokovic passes Federer and glues to Nadal in the fight
Whether or not playing the US Open, scheduled to start at the end of August, Djokovic assured that he will take the next few days to rest physically and mentally. The Serbian said that the episode in which he was isolated and deported from Australia earlier this year for not being vaccinated against Covid-19 still shakes him a lot psychologically.
– Regardless of whether or not I will be playing soon, I will definitely rest for the next few weeks, because it was a very exhausting and demanding period for me. Afterwards, I will hopefully wait for good news from the US, because I would love to go there. I’m in no rush to keep winning, what I want is to stay healthy so I have my options in the future. What happened in Australia created a storm inside me and it’s been hard to get over it.
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