Novak Djokovic faces ATP backlash over COVID vaccine refusal

With tennis on an indefinite hiatus, there have been many questions about how and when the game will return at the highest level.

One question that may yet need plenty more debate for it to find an answer has emerged this week as Serbian tennis legend and 16-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic has said that he wouldn’t want “to be forced by someone to take a vaccine” in a chat between Serbian athletes on Facebook.

To date, there has been uniformity across tennis, with players, officials and commentators saying that when the game returns, all players should be given any vaccine that is available.

World number one Novak Djokovic, however, does not agree.