'Very special for our sport' - Novak Djokovic has been criticised 'too much' for his behaviour - Alex Corretja
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 16/02/2022 at 10:04 GMT
Alex Corretja believes Novak Djokovic is "someone very special" for tennis and that he has not warranted the scorn he has received over his recent behaviour. Djokovic didn't compete at January's Australian Open after being deported following a saga over his Covid-19 vaccination status, and - reacting to the Serb's first interview on the subject - Corretja reckons he deserves more respect.
‘Difficult’ – Henman says unvaccinated status puts Djokovic career at risk
Novak Djokovic does not deserve the amount of criticism he has received over his controversial behaviour surrounding Covid-19, says Alex Corretja.
Djokovic broke his silence on Tuesday over the saga that saw him fly - unvaccinated - to Australia under a medical exemption to try and take part in the Australian Open, before eventually being deported following a decision from a judge that the Serb could have fostered anti-vaccination sentiment.
Throughout the saga and since then, the 34-year-old - who declared in his interview with the BBC that he intends to remain unvaccinated - has been at the centre of a backlash over his decisions, but Eurosport pundit Corretja urged people to remember what he has done in tennis.
He said: "He's been giving us so much in tennis.
"You might not like his behaviour sometimes on the court, you can be against that or in favour of his character or whatever.
"But we can't forget that he's someone very special for our sport. So just to go out there and criticise him so much, and just try to be hard on him just because he decided that he wants to have the right to choose not to get vaccinated - I think it was too much. And I think we need to show respect.
"If you want to get vaccinated, it's fine. If not, I think you need to respect even if some people might feel like they shouldn't be forced to do that.
"He's got his own personality and his own ideas. And definitely some people will say he's got the right to say that [that he is unvaccinated] while some others will say if he gets vaccinated, then that would be a role model saying that.
"But in a way, I don't think he needs to think about other people, he needs to think about what he feels. And that's why I think that's the most important thing."
By continuing to abstain from getting vaccinated, Djokovic is putting his participation in future Grand Slam tournaments in danger - and his overall legacy in the game.
Corretja hopes that whatever happens entails less noise than what was seen in Melbourne.
He said: "It will be shocking if he's not going to be able to play in the next two years because of not getting the vaccination.
"That would be devastating for our sport, and therefore sport in general.
"I hope he's going to be able to play as many tournaments as he can. And definitely he knows that he will need to respect the rules of every country. I know he knows that and he is willing to pay that price.
"If he says 'I'm not vaccinated, can I play?' and they say yes, he will go. And if they say 'you need to get vaccinated', he will stay at home.
"I think it'd be better if he can play as many tournaments as he can. This will be nicer and we will have the number one in the world playing the tournaments, which I think is the best thing for all of us."
- - -
Watch every moment of Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on discovery+.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement