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Updated June 29th, 2022 at 11:07 IST

Novak Djokovic faces fresh controversy over COVID jab as sparring partner tests positive

Novak Djokovic's training partner ahead of the Wimbledon Championships 2022, tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, a few days after practicing together.

Novak Djokovic
Image: @wimbledon/Instagram | Image:self
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Wimbledon Championships 2022 defending champion Novak Djokovic has made headlines once again for his stance on the Covid-19 virus, after French Open semi-finalist Marin Cilic withdrew from the tournament following Covid-19 positive results on Monday. Djokovic and Cilic trained together ahead of the prestigious Grand Slam tournament and on being asked about his stance on getting vaccinated, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said that getting the jab is not an option for him. Djokovic admitted that he will rather not participate in events if they require mandatory vaccination.

As reported by Express, in a press conference on Monday, the reporter asked, “Is that [getting jabbed] something you've completely closed your mind to as an option going forward?”. Meanwhile, replying to the question, Djokovic said, “Yes. Yes." This comes after Croatian tennis player Cilic tested positive for the virus on Monday ahead of his first-round match against USA’s Mackenzie McDonald. Cilic revealed that he tested positive for Covid and has been self-isolating. Meanwhile, Djokovic’s unmoved stance on vaccination can make way for new controversy as the player started off 2022 with his infamous deportation saga in Australia.

Novak Djokovic's deportation saga ahead of Australian Open 2022

Djokovic was deported at the Melbourne International Airport, days ahead of the Australian Open 2022, as the country required visitors to be vaccinated. After being confined to a hotel room for the day, Djokovic won the legal battle against the Australian authorities and managed to get his visa re-instated, only to get it revoked again. He was then deported from the country as Rafael Nadal went on to clinch his 21st Grand Slam title in his absence. 

Matteo Berrettini withdraws from Wimbledon Championships 2022 due to Covid-19

Meanwhile, Nadal’s training partner ahead of the Wimbledon 2022 and last year’s runner-up Matteo Berrettini also tested positive for the virus on Monday and pulled out of the tournament. He was the second high-profile player after 2017 finalist Cilic to withdraw participation. At the same time, the defending champion Djokovic also crossed paths with Berrettini ahead of the tournament.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Wimbledon (@wimbledon)

As per The Associated Press, Nadal also shed views on Berrettini’s exit due to the virus, and said, “Difficult to be a close contact when you are outside, when you are practising. For the moment I am feeling great, no problems at all. Main thing is I feel very sorry for him because he was playing fantastic”. Having said that, Nadal and Djokovic qualified for the second round of Wimbledon 2022, following their respective first-round wins. It is noteworthy that, Nadal is coming off his 22nd Grand Slam win at the French Open 2022 and is the No. 2 seed behind top seed Djokovic.

(Image: @wimbledon/Instagram)

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Published June 29th, 2022 at 11:07 IST

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