The year 2022 has not been easy for Novak Djokovic. The winner of 21 Grand Slam tournaments has had to play intermittently, slowed down by constant problems due to his decision not to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus.
This decision caused the exclusion of “Nole” from the Australian Open and the United States Open, a really difficult situation to digest and that has stopped Nole in the Slams race against his great rivals Roger Federer and, above all, Rafael Nadal, who has meanwhile risen to 22 Grand Slam titles.
A difficult situation to face also because, in recent months, Djokovic has been in the spotlight of critics. The decision not to get vaccinated has earned the Serbian a lot of criticism, and recently Nole has spoken about it again.
The winner of the ATP tournament in Tel Aviv, who returned to the court after months of absence (he returned in the Laver Cup, but it was not an official commitment) spoke with i24News and returned to the choice not to get vaccinated: “I always remain faithful to my values and the things I believe in.
I believe in freedom of choice and I think that everyone should have the opportunity to choose what to do with their body, that’s why I made their decision”, continued Nole: “This meant that I had to skip two Grand Slam tournaments and I was aware of it from the beginning.
I have decided to accept the consequences, but I will always be true to what I believe.” During the conference, Nole spoke about his relationship with the media, stating that from the beginning he did not expect a big deal.
Here are his words on the matter: “This year the media has created a huge negative spotlight on me and the media has not been kind to me, but in a way I expected it, they behave like that.”
Djokovic wants to play the Finals
Novak Djokovic etched his name in history after adding another feather to his cap in Israel.
“Every win helps. In the last three months I have not played any tournament. Wimbledon was the last one, so it’s very important to win as many matches as I can for my confidence level and feelings,” Djokovic said.
“I came here with the intention of playing four singles matches and that’s what I’m going to have.” The Serb will next take part in the Astana Open in Kazakhstan and will face Cristian Garin in the round of 32.
