‘It’s terrible for tennis!’ Pam Shriver SLAMS Novak Djokovic for taking an Anti-Vaccine stand

In an exclusive interview with BBC, World No.1 Novak Djokovic clarified his vaccination stand once again and spoke for the first time after getting deported from Australia for not complying with the country’s rules. Djokovic spoke in length about why he feels vaccination shouldn’t be imposed on anyone and even said that he is ready to miss tournaments in the future but made it clear that he won’t get vaccinated.

After the interview, the Serb received mixed reactions from all over the world. While many believe that Djokovic is wrong in not getting vaccinated as he’s putting many lives at risk some say that Djokovic has every right to not get vaccinated. People have also lauded him for taking a firm stand on something he truly believes in.

Speaking to BBC, Former World No.3 Pam Shriver also opined her thoughts about the Djokovic saga. According to her, this whole situation is terrible for tennis. She said that some medical expert should explain to Djokovic the benefits of the vaccine so that he can get jabbed very soon. She even said that many people will be misguided because of the Serb’s stand as he has many ardent followers.

“I hope that the right trusted person, who is an expert in science and medicine, probably would have to be a Serbian, can sit him down and show him, and walk him through all of the steps that make the science and the medicine trustworthy and safe to put in his body.“Because it’s terrible for tennis, not good for him – and, really, he does lead by example. The fact that he doesn’t trust it, it does lead a lot of people, in his home country and throughout the world,” Shriver said.

‘He is standing really strong to his principles’: Shriver on Djokovic

Shriver further said that Djokovic is really against putting anything in his body that might hurt him but raised a reasonable question that if the evidence comes up that the vaccine is safe, will Djokovic still be willing to get jabbed?

“Obviously he is standing really strong to his principles that anything he puts into his body might hurt his body and not make it at an optimum way for one of the greatest athletes this planet has seen over the last 15 years,” the 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion said. “It was good to hear his rationale in some ways, but in some ways, it raises more questions. The biggest question I would have is: will he truly have an open mind to get vaccinated at a later date if the evidence becomes clear to him that it really is a safe vaccine?”

For the time being, Djokovic is all set to return on tour. He will play the Dubai Tennis Championships next week where he’ll be the top seed. It is to be noted that the coveted ATP 500 tournament doesn’t have a mandatory vaccination rule.

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