Novak Djokovic Will Have to Get Vaccinated to Keep Playing Tennis: Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is willing to forego the tennis season which is in tatters due to Covid-19 pandemic. Novak Djokovic, vehemently against vaccinations, is mulling the future.
Rafael Nadal says Novak Djokovic will have to get vaccinated if the governing bodies of tennis make Covid-19 shots mandatory once it is available.
Nadal told Spanish newspaper La Voz de Galicia that no one will be forced to use the vaccine and everyone is allowed to make their choices. But all players will have to get themselves vaccinated if tennis officials say that it is mandatory to get “vaccination to travel” and to “protect” everyone on the tour.
“Then Djokovic will have to be vaccinated if he wants to keep playing tennis at the top level,” Nadal said. “The same for me. Everyone will have to follow the rules, just like now we have to stay at home.”
“If the ATP or the International Tennis Federation obligates us to take the vaccine to play tennis, then we will have to do it,” Nadal added.
Also Read | Women’s Sport In India Remains Positive About Its Future
For now, there is no vaccine available against the coronavirus, which has killed more than 2.7 lakh around the world.
Tennis players are expected to come back to training in Spain from May 11. Nadal said he has already returned to training but only on a private court.
He recently expressed that he is pessimistic about the return of tennis in 2020. He said that if given the option, he is open to forego the tennis season so that the competitions could resume normally in 2021.
Also Read | Right To Play: The Unsuspecting Casualty of a Pandemic
Djokovic had said recently that he was against vaccines for coronavirus even if it became mandatory in order to travel. He later added he was willing to change his mind.
“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,” Djokovic said.
Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
