“I found myself alone,” Novak Djokovic recalls he felt like ‘a sheep surrounded by twenty wolves’ during constant media attacks over his vaccination stand

Novak Djokovic spoke transparently about what he went through when he was named "No Vax"

“I found myself alone,” Novak Djokovic recalls he felt like ‘a sheep surrounded by twenty wolves’ during constant media attacks over his vaccination stand

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Novak Djokovic recently opened up about the whole ‘No Vax‘ status that has been associated with the Serbian in the last few years. The world no. 1 suffered a great deal as he never got vaccinated for COVID-19. He expressed how he was completely singled out and misquoted by the media. The Serbian also said that during this time he had no support from his colleagues or the tennis federation.

Djokovic is currently on a few days’ break before the French Open starts on May 22nd. For the first time, he spoke at length about what went on in his mind when he was refused entry into Australia in 2022. “I was placed in the middle, singled out as persona non grata“, said Djokovic. The player had traveled to Australia to participate in what had been his most successful tournament. But the government denied him entry, and he was forced to stay in a detention center for a while.

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He also said that the media has a huge role to play in this entire debacle. “I found myself alone, but that time I felt like a sheep, surrounded by twenty wolves. And a man alone against the big media has no chance.” Djokovic said that what helped him at the time was his “positive mindset’ and his ability to cut out the noise. “I forget quickly; I’m focused on the positive things,” the 36-year-old tennis sensation added.

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Novak Djokovic said he likes to be consistent with his principles. He conformed to the rules; he wasn’t allowed entry into the US in 2022 and 2023. Though he missed out in a big way, he also didn’t give up on his freedom of choice, whether to be vaccinated or not. “I’ve always accepted the rules; I couldn’t go to America and I didn’t go, I gave up two US Opens to stay consistent with myself.“

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Novak Djokovic confessed he was disappointed from the media and many colleagues

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Image Credit: Reuters

Novak Djokovic said that he didn’t open up much when he was denied entry to Australia. He felt everything he said at the moment was being distorted by the media. Hence, he thought it was safer not to speak about it much. The Serb added, saying, “I didn’t speak because I saw what I was saying being distorted.“

Despite winning the Australian Open in 2023, he felt the disappointment stayed with him. He definitely didn’t get much support from the tennis fraternity either. Rafael Nadal, his biggest rival had little sympathy for his fellow player. He has said at the moment “Decisions come with consequences“. Hinting at Djokovic’s choice of not getting vaccinated when the Serbian was denied entry to Australia, Nadal told the Guardian “I think if he wanted, he would be playing here in Australia without a problem.” 

There are some who admire Djokovic’s conviction and how he sticks to his principles. Reilly Opelka had recently told in a podcast that he believes Djokovic is the greatest player and speaks very highly of the Serb. He feels that Djokovic is not scared to put himself in a dangerous position if it’s for something he believes in. Opelka had said, “He (Novak Djokovic) puts himself in danger and I respect that, partly because the media has never given him a fair share because, as I said, he doesn’t play the game of what they want to hear“.

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