Djokovic's participation at French Open and Wimbledon in doubt without Covid vaccine

Novak Djokovic is on a quest to finish his career with the most singles Grand Slam titles in ATP history, but the Serbian's dream may be unfulfilled due to his refusal to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

The World No.1 missed the defense of his Australian Open title last month as he was not vaccinated. In his first interview since the tournament, he has said that he is willing to miss more majors rather than be forced to get a Covid-19 jab.

Djokovic says he is not “anti-vaxx”, but that the “principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else”. The revelation throws into doubt whether Djokovic will challenge for another Grand Slam title and even what tournaments he will be able to play on the tennis calendar.

When asked if he would sacrifice taking part in Wimbledon and the French Open over his vaccine stance, Djokovic said: “Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay.” That presents an immediate problem for the next Grand Slam of the season, as in France a vaccine passport is currently needed to gain access to certain venues and areas.

However, the 20-time Grand Slam champion could still participate at Wimbledon, as the United Kingdom is set to do away with almost all Covid-19 regulations by the end of February.

The current rules state that arrivals into the country who are not fully vaccinated will only need to take a pre-departure PCR test and then another test on or before day two in the UK. Therefore the 34-year old should have no problem getting to Wimbledon.