Novak Djokovic 'willing' to sacrifice trophies rather than take Covid vaccine

Novak Djokovic says he is willing to sacrifice the chance to win more titles rather than be forced to get a Covid vaccine.

"Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay," he said in an interview with the BBC.

Djokovic, 34, said he should not be associated with the anti-vax movement, but supported an individual's right to choose.

He said: “I have never said I’m part of that movement.

“It’s really unfortunate that there has been this kind of misconception and wrong conclusion based upon something that I completely disagree with,” he added.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner, who is unvaccinated, was deported from Australia last month after the government cancelled his visa in a row over his vaccine status.

The world No 1 is set to make his tennis return at next week's ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The Serb was denied the chance to defend his Australian Open title last month after losing his appeal against deportation, allowing great rival Rafael Nadal to become the first man to clinch 21 major titles.

Djokovic is also the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, but his vaccination stance means his chances of defending those titles are also in doubt.

He said he would forego the tournaments “because the principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else.

“I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can,” he added.

He told the broadcaster he was “keeping [his] mind open” to the possibility of getting vaccinated in the future “because we are all trying to find collectively, a best possible solution to end Covid”.

“I was never against vaccination. I understand that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing,