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For World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has almost constantly been surrounded by controversy in recent times. During the initial months of the coronavirus pandemic the Serb raised objections against vaccination, which earned him a lot of flak from the fans and from medical professionals alike.
Following that, Novak Djokovic's grand Adria Tour derailed into chaos with a host of players - including the World No. 1 himself - testing positive for COVID-19.
Novak Djokovic's anti-vaccination stance has now earned him a stern rebuke from top Serbian epidemiologist and member of the Serbian government's Crisis Team, Predrag Kon.
The Serbian doctor, who was on the show "HitTvit", criticized the 33-year-old for spreading "wrong beliefs".
"As one of Djokovic's most loyal fans, I wish I had the opportunity to bring him closer to the importance and huge contribution of immunizations to the health of the population, Kon said. "It is too late now, he has created wrong beliefs and there is no help. Master, I wish you all the best. You avoid direct answers to the question about vaccination, because you have a huge impact."
At the same time, given that Novak Djokovic and his wife have also fallen prey to the virus, Kon mentioned that he would like to have a word with the World No. 1, while wishing the him a great future.
"The only thing I will say is that I wish him all the best and success in the future. I think that is something that will happen to this country in 50 years. I have nothing to complain about. I mentioned it once because of vaccines, I would be very happy to hear from you with him in general, ever, because I am his fan and I am constantly by the TV when he plays," Predrag Kon said.
Novak Djokovic has a huge impact on people: Predrag Kon
What started out as a supposedly casual remark by the Serb back in March, eventually snowballed into a much larger issue. During a Facebook Live session with other Serbian athletes, Novak Djokovic had controversially stated that he wouldn't be on-board with mandatory vaccination being implemented on the tennis tour.
“Personally I am opposed to vaccination and I wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel,” Novak Djokovic had said during the Facebook Live.
Novak Djokovic being an anti-vaxxer has Predrag Kon worried, as the World No. 1 has a lot of influence over his followers. Given the tense pandemic situation the world is currently in, Kon believes that any loose comments - especially about things related to medical science - could prove risky.
"Novak has a really huge impact on people, every step is followed. You see, that's burdensome," the Serbian doctor said.
Novak Djokovic has now recovered fully from the virus, and he even spent a mini-vacation with his family in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina. But it remains to be seen how he will react if the tournaments held next year require all players to compulsorily get vaccinated against COVID-19.
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