‘They Eliminated Many Sentences’- a Year After His Infamous Vaccine Interview, Novak Djokovic Breaks Silence on How the BBC Coverage Had a Dismissive Impact on His Image

For 22-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, the beginning of 2022 was mired in controversy. In fact, the roots of the controversy started to take shape way back in 2020. At the time, the COVID-19 pandemic was wreaking havoc on the entire world, and it didn’t spare the tennis world. The entire ATP Tour came to an abrupt halt as the pandemic raged, and a vaccine for the deadly disease seemed like a far-fetched dream. As talks regarding a potential vaccine were gathering momentum, Djokovic appeared on a Facebook live stream and voiced his opposition to vaccination. This opposition cost the Serb dearly in 2022, as the Australian government rendered him unable to defend his 2021 Australian Open title owing to his unvaccinated status.

More controversy was in store for the Serb after the BBC interviewed him regarding his stance on vaccination. In a recent interview, the World No. 1 in men’s tennis looked back on the controversial interview. According to Djokovic, the global news powerhouse did him no favors by leaving out some of the things he said during the interview.

Novak Djokovic slams the media’s portrayal of him over the last three years

In his 2020 Facebook live stream, Djokovic openly expressed his opposition to COVID-19 vaccination. What followed was a chain of events that painted him as someone who vehemently opposes vaccination. Things went from bad to worse for Djokovic following a BBC interview in 2022.

Recently, Djokovic sat down for an interview with Corriere Della Sera. In the interview, Djokovic said, “95 percent of what has been written and said on TV about me in the last three years is totally false”. Djokovic also revealed what he felt about the insulting ‘Novax Djokocovid’ tag that he received following the BBC interview. “I am not novax and I have never said in my life that I am. I’m not even pro-vax. I am pro-choice”.

Djokovic minced no words as he went on to slam the BBC. “I explained it once to the BBC, on my return from Australia, but they eliminated many sentences, the ones that weren’t convenient.”

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Djokovic’s 2022 Australian Open disappointment

In 2021, Djokovic dominated his opposition from first to last as he registered yet another Australian Open title. Ahead of the 2022 edition of the Grand Slam, tennis fans tipped Djokovic to retain his title. However, the Australian government interfered and eventually, it forced Djokovic to withdraw from the tournament.

The Australian government took the sudden decision to bar unvaccinated players. Djokovic was one of the high-profile names to remain unvaccinated going into the tournament. As a result, he had no option left but to withdraw. Djokovic’s withdrawal proved to be costly from a sponsorship standpoint as well.

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