Novak Djokovic is willing to miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to get vaccinated against coronavirus.
Novak Djokovic
The Serbian tennis star was forbidden from competing at the Australian Open last month after being deported from the country in a row over his vaccine status.
Djokovic missed out on the chance to win a record 21st Grand Slam title and has now revealed that he would sit out of tournaments such as Wimbledon and the French Open due to his stance on the jab.
He told the BBC: "Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay."
The world number one has rejected claims that he is against vaccination but wants freedom to choose what he puts in his body.
Djokovic said: "I was never against vaccination, but I've always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body."
The Serb considers his choice over the jab to be more important than chasing the Grand Slam record - which is now held by Rafael Nadal after his victory in Melbourne.
Asked why, he answered: "Because the principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else. I'm trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can."
Djokovic says that he hopes that the Covid pandemic comes to an end as soon as possible and dismissed suggestions that he hasn't taken the pandemic seriously.
He said: "I was never against vaccination. I understand that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing, hopefully, an end soon to this virus."
Tagged in Novak Djokovic