Novak Djokovic insists he is not an anti-vaxxer but his refusal to get the jab will do immeasurable damage to his legacy

Novak Djokovic has had a flexibility coach since he was a child.

More than a decade into his career, no-one in the men's game has really been able to replicate his particular brand of rubbery athleticism.

His ability to run full pelt, slide into the splits and play powerful shots on both wings from positions most other players couldn't even reach is perhaps his biggest point of difference on an ATP tour full of sensational athletes standing at more than 1.9 metres.

So it's ironic that his rigid anti-vaccine position could be the thing that brings him unstuck in his quest to truly be considered the greatest male tennis champion of all time.

This is a man utterly dedicated to the sports science that has helped him win 20 majors, but his refusal to accept the epidemiological science that has so far vaccinated more than half the planet's adult population against COVID-19 may be the thing that stops him reaching 21.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic reveals he will sit out all tennis tournaments that require a vaccine mandate, after telling the BBC he will never get the jab.

We may never know what he truly believes, but in an exclusive interview with the BBC, the world number one spoke in depth about the fact that he had not received any COVID-19 vaccine and was willing to missing grand slam tournaments if the alternative was getting the jab.

In his conversation with BBC media editor Amol Rajan, Djokovic insisted he «completely disagree[d] with» anti-vaxxers and said he decided not to get vaccinated because he had «always supported the freedom to choose what you put into your body».

But in the same answer he implied he did not believe the vaccine would be healthy for him.

«It's really the principle of understanding what is right and what is