Antivaxxer Djokovic has reportedly turned around and is getting vaccinated! Nadal’s 21st title should have forced him to do so

Now this could be big news. One of the most famous anti-vaxxers, Novak Djokovic, was unable to compete in the Australian Open, which was dominated by his rival Rafael Nadal and won a record 21st Grand Slam, because of his unvaccinated status. This should have forced the Serbian tennis player to change his mind and reportedly get vaccinated.

Nadal rewrote history last Sunday when he won his 21st Grand Slam title, leaving behind both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who have 20.

But the Serbian tennis player is very annoyed by this fact, as it is no secret that he is the one who cares the most about having the most titles to his credit out of the big three. He was unable to compete in Australia after being deported as he is not allowed to enter the country without vaccinations and he lied on entry about having contracted the coronavirus.

Daniel Müksch, the man in charge of Djokovic’s autobiography, has come up with a groundbreaking piece of news for Austrian media outlet Heute.

“From what I’ve heard from those closest to him, I think he’s getting vaccinated. The final in Australia probably helped. It could be that Nadal’s 21 Grand Slams pushed him to do it,” Müksch said.

This information has already been picked up by the world’s media, such as the Spanish Marca or the British Daily Mail.

Djokovic is one of the most well-known anti-vaxxers and has refused the vaccine at all costs until now. This is even knowing that he could miss several important tournaments, including his favourite, the Australian Open. He would also lose the rather important Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami, and most importantly the French Open in May.

The vaccination would thus open the way for Djokovic, as well as all other tennis players, to tournaments he would otherwise miss.

At the end of February, the world number one will play in Dubai, where he can only compete if he submits a negative PCR test. The other best tennis players in the world – Medvedev (2), Zverev (3), Tsitsipas (4), Nadal (5), Berrettini (6) will play in Acapulco, Mexico, where Djokovic cannot go.

To maintain his lead in the ATP rankings

One of Djokovic’s main goals should be to maintain his position as world number one in the ATP rankings. And he probably won’t be able to do that unless he enters the tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. Medvedev is 890 points behind him at the moment and will play the Open 500 in Rotterdam (7-13 February), where he will be able to reduce the Serb’s lead.

It should be noted that at the moment, entry to the USA is only possible with a complete vaccination. The equation is so simple, Djokovic now holds the future of his career in his hands. Either he continues to believe in his convictions and gradually escapes world number one status and maybe even Nadal’s grand slam status, or he inoculates himself and can fight it all out on the court.

Source: Marca, Heute