JANET STREET-PORTER: Djokovic must put world before misguided beliefs

Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic is suffering from a serious condition - extreme self-importance complicated with delusions of grandeur.

In a revealing interview, the world’s number one men’s tennis player clearly sees himself as a martyr willing to spurn a covid jab because only he knows what’s best for his body.

This refusal to be vaccinated is the ultimate act of selfishness. Sod the rest of you, Djokovic seems to be saying - the millions of mugs who’ve reluctantly been jabbed to protect others and support their communities - I, Novak Djokovic, operate in a bubble of one. I am a demi-God who makes their own rules.

After weeks of silence (following his deportation from Australia for refusing to comply with the immigration rules) Djokovic has chosen to share his thoughts regarding Covid in an interview with the BBC. Some have derided it as a misguided PR exercise, a blatant attempt to place himself back in the public eye after the disastrous events in Australia a few weeks ago when he went from hero to zero in a day, sparking violent demonstrations and political controversy.

The debacle at Melbourne airport’s Border Control in January cost Djokovic his 21st Grand Slam title (along with his credibility) - missing a chance to be crowned the greatest player of all time. In the event, his great rival Rafa Nadal took the trophy home, after an epic five and a quarter hour match which some have called the greatest final of all time.

Instead of basking in glory Djokovic became a laughing stock, loathed by Aussies for trying to skirt around the rules they had been forced to follow for months. All the other rubbish didn’t help his case either- not coming clean about whether he had been jabbed. Not being completely straight about