“Their position was not easy” Novak Djokovic reveals Lacoste almost ended his deal as sponsors dropped the Serb over vaccination row
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Novak Djokovic
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has faced multiple challenges so far this season and the majority of them have been off the court. Due to his decision to remain unvaccinated against Covid-19, the Serbian was deported from Australia, hours prior to his first-round match at the 2022 Australian Open where he was the 3-time defending champion.
Getting vaccinated remains a personal issue and individuals can decide by themselves if they want to be vaccinated or not. Novak did nothing wrong in exercising his personal right but with him being a global icon and followed by many, his decision on not getting vaccinated followed by the 10-day drama in Australia led to many of his sponsors cutting ties with him.
Peugeot and UKG are two of the big brands that have ended their deals with Novak since January 2022. While the automobile company Peugeot announced that due to losses suffered because of the Pandemic, they are unable to continue paying Novak whereas UKG did not renew their deal after a 3-year long partnership with the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
“There are things I cannot talk about before public statements are made. My main sponsors stayed with me and I am grateful for it, but some sponsors I no longer have. That is all that I can say, it is not my place to evaluate whether somebody should have stayed with me or left me. Particularly, Lacoste. We have been in regular contact, mostly Edoardo (Artaldi, one of Djokovic’s agents), but I have personally spoken with the head of Lacoste. They understood the whole situation, everything that was happening.
“As their global ambassador, I am important to them, but their position was not easy. They have told us that they have been under pressure from the media, from some clients that maybe weren’t happy with me staying with the company. Challenges always present themselves, so to say, but I think they made a good choice and I am grateful. I will try to represent the Lacoste brand just like I did up until now, in the best possible way.
“After all, it is a brand with great tradition, one of the greatest in tennis, and I am proud to wear the crocodile on my shirt,” said Djokovic speaking with Serbian journalists at the 2022 French Open with the comments being reported by journalist Sasa Ozmo for Tennis Majors.
“I go in-depth more than I should” Jokes Novak Djokovic on addressing sensitive issues
Djokovic further confessed that his candid behaviour also lands him in trouble often and he has been advised by his management team to shy away from certain topics so that he is not dragged into unnecessary controversies.
“Sometimes I just want to do a quick presser, with standard, ordinary questions. On the other hand, if there is a hot, interesting topic, I like to speak about it, although people in my team always warn me that I should speak less on sensitive topics. People are probably used to me making no bones about it, especially when it comes to justice in sports.
“Some things keep happening, so there are always interesting discussions in which I like to take the players’ side, which is logical, since I am also a player. Maybe sometimes I go in-depth more than I should,” added Novak concluding his press meet as he prepares to take on Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round of the French Open where he is the defending champion.
Also Read: How will Wimbledon prize money be affected after ranking points get removed by ATP and WTA?
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)