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Novak Djokovic is someone who has had a controversial image throughout his career. One of his more prominent controversies was about him choosing not to take the COVID-19 vaccine. He was banned from playing in the Australian Open and the US Open in 2022 due to his decision. His image became that of someone who was against vaccines. But after his 24th slam win this year, he cleared the air on his stance on vaccination.

The commotion last year was wild for the player. The Serbian had to go through a tough situation. He was deported from Australia after he had arrived for the first Grand Slam of 2022. His image was damaged immensely, and he is now clearing the air on the situation.

Novak Djokovic on being against taking the Covid-19 vaccine 

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After being absent last year, the Serbian player was able to play in the American tournaments once again. His presence has only improved the popularity of the tournament, which gave him a mental boost. He created history once again by winning his 24th grand slam in the US Open. After his win, he sat down for an interview for Omaha Productions with John McEnroe, where the two talked about his absence from the two majors last year.

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I was never anti-vax,” Djokovic said. “I was always pro-freedom-to-choose. And that’s something that we took really for granted. I didn’t feel like a lot of people had a choice, really.” The treatment of media further troubled him, as he said, “Ya being looked at and treated as a villain of the world.” 

But the player only had one thing in mind. “I just wanted to competeand I wanted to play tennis because that’s what I do best.” 

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The media and the world chastised the Serbian legend, but he stayed resolute in his belief. But now, he has put that difficult time behind him and only looks to become an even better player. But the vaccine mandate wasn’t lifted until late this year.

Djokovic’s troublesome 2022

When the vaccine for COVID-19 became widely available to the public, it was mandated for everyone, especially for international travel. The Djoker did not take the vaccine, which caused an uproar. Subsequently, the Serbian player was chastised by many for his decision to not take the vaccine. There was some support for him, but the majority were angry at him and called for a ban on him.

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He wasn’t allowed to play in the Australian and the US Open last year, along with other tournaments in the countries. This year, the ban was lifted after May. After a break of two years, he finally made his mark in the Cincinnati Masters and in New York, winning both the titles and clinching the world No. 1 spot in the rankings.

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