Tennis legend John McEnroe blasted politicians for a vaccine mandate that is effectively barring Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic from participating in the U.S. Open.
Per a rule from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 21-time Grand Slam champ Djokovic cannot travel to the U.S. for the competition next month since he remains unvaccinated against COVID.
“These politicians are getting in the way too much,” McEnroe blasted via ESPN airwaves on Sunday. “They did it in Australia. Let’s let the guy come in and play in the U.S.”
“I mean, come on,” he added. “This is ridiculous.”
McEnroe’s brother Patrick, who also played professional tennis, agreed. “Whatever you think the government should or should not do, it’s a bummer for tennis,” he said.
Djokovic won Wimbledon for the seventh time in his career on Sunday, dropping Nick Kyrgios in four sets.
The tennis star told the press on Sunday he’s hoping the U.S. allows him to enter the country, but has no plans to get vaccinated.
“I’m not vaccinated and I’m not planning to get vaccinated,” he said, according to Yahoo Sports. “So the only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card, or whatever you call it to enter United States or exemption.”
“I don’t think exemption is realistically possible,” Djokovic added. “I think it’s just whether or not they remove this in time for me to get to the USA.”
The 35-year-old famously told the BBC in February that he’s willing to sacrifice championships to stand up for his belief in medical freedom.
“That is the price that I’m willing to pay,” Djokovic said about potentially missed tournaments over the vaccine requirement. “Because the principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else. I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can.”
“I was never against vaccination,” the athlete said, “but I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.”
Unfortunately, Djokovic has already had to sacrifice for this principle. In January, the tennis star was dramatically detained and deported from Australia over his vaccination status, rendering him unable to defend his Australian Open title.
“It has affected me definitely in the first several months of the year,” Djokovic told the press this weekend. “I was not feeling great generally. I mean, mentally, emotionally, I was not at a good place.”
Source: Dailywire
