“I can’t imagine he won’t play in Australia” Boris Becker on Novak Djokovic decision on Vaccination, and the Australian Open


“I can’t imagine he won’t play in Australia” Boris Becker on Novak Djokovic decision on Vaccination, and the Australian Open

Boris Becker novak djokovic

Former world no. 1 Boris Becker has opened up about the upcoming Australian Open and the biggest question surrounding the event: Will Novak Djokovic take part in it? The state of Victoria has made it clear that in order to participate in the first grand slam of the year, every player needs to be doubly vaccinated.

The Serb, who has regularly refused to reveal his vaccination status, has led to multiple debates and discussions over his potential participation in a tournament where he emerged victorious 9 times. The latest to weigh in on this subject was his former coach Boris Becker.

Boris Becker is a German former tennis player who won his first grand slam title at the age of 17. He has won 3 Wimbledon, 2 Australian Open, and 1 US Open title. In 1991, he was ranked no. 1 in the world. Post-retirement, he had served as a coach to Novak Djokovic. He joined Djokovic’s entourage between 2013 and 2016. Under his guidance, the Serb picked up a whopping 25 titles, which included 6 grand slam wins.

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Novak loves the sport too much – Boris Becker

Novak Djokovic with his 9th Australian Open trophy

Speaking on the podcast Das Gelbe vom Ball, Boris Becker said “I can’t imagine that he won’t play in Australia. He loves the sport too much for that, he loves tennis history too much for that. He wants to reach the 21 Grand Slam wins. Australia is his best Grand Slam. He has already won nine times there. Why shouldn’t he win a 10th time?”

“You have to play by the rules” – Boris Becker

boris becker and djokovic
Becker and Djokovic

While Boris Becker agreed on his protege’s right to choice over-vaccination, he also stressed the fact that the set rules need to be followed. “He says it is his personal decision whether to get vaccinated or not. It is nobody’s business. I’m with him on that. But if he wants to play on the tennis tour – and we’re also having this discussion about [Bayern Munich player] Joshua Kimmich – then you just have to follow the rules. You have to be vaccinated in order to play” said Becker.

He emphasized that Novak Djokovic will be no exception to the rules, stating “That (the rules) applies to Djokovic, that applies to Kimmich and that applies to every athlete who is at home in their respective sport.”

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