Novak Djokovic Says He'd Rather Lose Out On Grand Slams Than Get Vaccinated

Novak Djokovic has doubled down on his decision not to get vaccinated against Covid-19, saying he'll happily miss out on Grand Slams and other tournaments rather than be jabbed.

The Serbian was dealt a further blow when Rafael Nadal went on to win the year's first Grand Slam, meaning the Spanish star beat his rival to being the first man to reach 21 slam victories.

"Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay," Djokovic answered.

"The principles of decision-making on my body are more important than any title or anything else," the tennis star added.

"I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can. I understand and support fully the freedom to choose

"…Whether you want to get vaccinated or not, and I have not spoken about this before, and I have not disclosed my medical record and my vaccination status, because I had the right to keep that private and discreet.

"But as I see there is a lot of wrong conclusions and assumptions out there. It’s important to speak up about that and justify certain things."

Djokovic remains the world's number one men's tennis player, ahead of Daniil Medvedev, who lost the final in Melbourne to Nadal, but that is likely to change.

With his stance on the jab remaining the same, the world's best player won't be able to play in many tournaments across the world, making it impossible to defend his ranking points.

He has acknowledged that his decision will affect his chances of future success, adding, "I’m part of a very global sport that is played every single week in a different location.

"So I understand the consequences of my decision and one of the consequences of my decision was not going to Australia, and I was prepared not to go, and I understand that not being vaccinated today,