MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough is dumbfounded that Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic is willing to forgo tournaments because he does not want to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Scarborough reacted to an interview Djokovic gave to the BBC where he stated he is “willing to pay” the “price” of not getting vaccinated.
“Has the guy ever gotten any other vaccines before?” Scarborough asked on Wednesday morning. “For Djokovic, god bless him if he doesn’t want to win the most Grand Slams ever that’s up to him. It’s a free country, free world… he can do whatever he wants to do.”
He continued, “But man, for a guy who’s probably gotten a ton of vaccines in his life already, it seems like a strange hill to die on.”
Politico’s Jonathan Lemire chimed in, “He is concerned about the impact the vaccine would have on his body. Well, he won’t have to worry about the impact of wear and tear of tennis on his body.”
Watch the video below:
Morning Joe’s @JoeNBC & @JonLemire mock @DjokerNole for elevating his bodily autonomy over winning Grand Slams.
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 16, 2022
“He is concerned about the impact the vaccine would have on his body. Well, he won’t have to worry about the impact of wear and tear of tennis on his body.” pic.twitter.com/rM5bWDbdKF
During his interview, Djokovic, who has won 20 Grand Slams, told the BBC that he is willing to miss out on future tournaments if it means he will not have to get vaccinated.
He was deported from Australia last month after the government canceled his visa on “health and good order” ahead of the Australian Open.
The tennis star was initially granted a medical exemption from two health panels after he tested positive for the virus in December. But he was detained by the Australian Border Force for not meeting the country’s vaccine requirements and revoked his visa.
A court overturned that decision, but ultimately the government revoked his visa, claiming that it was in the public interest.
Djokovic told the BBC he was “never against vaccination” and understands “that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing, hopefully, an end soon to this virus.” But added that he has “always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.”