Defending champion Novak Djokovic has given his thoughts on Wimbledon’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament
Novak Djokovic says he does not ‘fully agree’ with Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players. The All England Club has banned Russian and Belarusian players from participating in the tournament. As a result, the ATP and the WTA have stripped the historic event of ranking points.
Earlier, Djokovic termed the decision as ‘crazy’ when it was initially announced. Yet he continues to be critical of it even during the press conferences at Wimbledon.
“They are professional athletes. None of them has supported any war or anything like that. It’s very sensitive. I understand both sides. It’s really hard to say what is right, what is wrong. But in my heart as an athlete, putting myself in a position where someone would ban me from playing because of these circumstances, and I have not contributed to that, I wouldn’t think that’s fair“, said the World No.1.
Novak Djokovic sticks to his anti-vaccination stance despite the risk of losing ranking points
Novak Djokovic has made it clear once again that he will not take the Covid-19 vaccination against his own will. As a result, he is likely to miss the tournament in the U.S.A including the US Open but the Serbian doesn’t seem to be affected by it.
“It would probably affect players other than myself to be honest. I don’t want to say that ranking points are not important for me – of course they are – but not as they were until recently. Now, I am not chasing the rankings as much as I had until I broke the record for the longest weeks at number one and then after that it wasn’t that important in terms of priority for me”, said Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic is set to miss multiple events in the U.S.A including the US Open because of his Covid-19 vaccination status. In the latest legislation that came into effect on June 12, the rule states that foreigners who have completed the vaccination cycle will only be allowed to enter the country.
So, at this moment, Novak Djokovic is set to miss the prestigious events of Toronto, Cincinnati and even the US Open.
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