Istomin supports Novak Djokovic's anti-vaxxer stance, says "Let them accuse me too"

Novak Djokovic, the top-ranked player in the world, has recently attracted criticism for a string of controversial statements. In particular, his stance on a potential COVID-19 vaccine - where he said he would prefer not to be forced into taking it - has drawn widespread scrutiny.

However, the Serb has now found support in Denis Istomin, the man who famously defeated him in the 2017 Australian Open second round.

Tennis player Novak Djokovic opposes the idea of compulsory coronavirus vaccinations for players. The World Number One says he is personally against vaccines, and wouldn't want to be forced to take one before travelling pic.twitter.com/WeTkJdDGog

— BFM News (@NewsBFM) April 20, 2020

With tennis being on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, various preventive measures have been floated around by the fans and experts - including compulsory vaccinations and empty stadiums. And when Novak Djokovic seemed to be propagating an anti-vax stand amid the global crisis, he was hit by waves of criticism from the tennis community.

Marion Bartoli asked him to 'think about humanity', while Noah Rubin cautioned against influencing other people's lives through your personal beliefs. Rafael Nadal joined in the discussion too, insisting that Djokovic would need to get vaccinated if he wants to return to the tour.

Denis Istomin, however, thinks otherwise.

“I agree with Novak. Let them accuse me too! There cannot be a compulsory vaccination; each person should decide if they want to be vaccinated or not," Istomin said, throwing his weight behind the World No. 1.

Anti-vax beliefs have been criticized by the medical community on the whole. Scientific consensus on the matter is that abstinence from vaccines can have an adverse effect on herd immunity, and that the benefits of vaccines far outweigh any potential risks.

But with Novak Djokovic, and now Denis Istomin, disagreeing with the idea of compulsory vaccination, the tennis authorities might have a problem on their hands in getting all parties on the same page.

Denis Istomin supports Novak Djokovic in his relief efforts, criticizes Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem has thrown his weight behind Novak Djokovic's player relief fund

Novak Djokovic, the president of the ATP Player Council, had recently initiated a Players' Relief Fund. Djokovic had proposed that the top 100 players contribute some amount towards financial support for the lower-ranked ones during the COVID-19 lockdown.

While most top players got on board pretty quickly, Dominic Thiem refused to donate to the fund, saying that he'd like to donate his money to charity organizations instead. While Thiem received some support from players in the community, his stance did not go down well with most fans.

Dominic Thiem about player relief fund: "No tennis player is fighting to survive, even those who are much lower-ranked. None of them are going to starve. I don’t really see why I should give such players money. I would rather give to people or organisations that really need it." pic.twitter.com/0m3esfaNG6

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) April 27, 2020

Now, Istomin has come out with his own opinion on the matter, saying that both perspectives are valid. He did, however, criticize Thiem for not being more careful with his words.

"I cannot say I fully agree or disagree with that statement. Both viewpoints make sense. The only thing I didn’t like much was that Dominic’s statement was public – he should have discussed the matter with the ATP or with the players beforehand,” Istomin told UBI Tennis.

“I think it (the relief fund) is a great idea because this is a very difficult time for all tennis players, especially those with low ranking who do not have a chance to play the Slams and the ATP tournaments – certainly, many of them are considering giving up professional tennis. I hope that the money pledged through the Fund will help motivate them to keep playing.”