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Serbian politician Vesna Pesic has claimed that Novak Djokovic is ‘uneducated’ in a scathing rant after taking issue with his firm stance on being vaccinated against COVID-19. The 35-year-old is expected to miss out on competing at this year’s US Open, which is set to get underway at the end of this month, as a result of his refusal to be jabbed.
The Serb’s failure to get the vaccine has sparked plenty of criticism from fans, players and pundits alike and was responsible for his unceremonious deportation from Melbourne on the eve of this year’s Australian Open back in January. Djokovic also looks set to be prevented from playing in the US Open later this month for the same reason, but Pesic has insisted in no uncertain terms that he only has himself to blame.
She tweeted: “As a well-known Djokovic cheerleader, I wonder when he is protecting his body from the vaccine at the age of 35?
“When you infect the brain, not much is good. It seems that those pyramids in Bosnia did not help him.”
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In a reply to a fan who had commented on her original tweet, Pesic added: “He’s not stupid, he’s uneducated because he’s only been hitting the ball since he was six years old. It’s not a sin, he’s achieved success. I have no chance to fight with them either.”
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Djokovic will eventually be prevented from taking part in this year’s US Open, the tournament at which he was denied a stunning Calendar Slam at the final hurdle by Daniil Medvedev almost 12 months ago. The 35-year-old has insisted that he would like to compete at Flushing Meadows but will be prevented from doing so unless the ban on unvaccinated players entering the country is lifted over the coming weeks.
“I think it’s BS, I think he should be allowed to play,” said McEnroe on American channel Fox Digital. “My personal opinion is, I’ve been vaccinated, I’ve had a booster shot. That’s up to the individual.
“He’s won a lot more majors than me because he’s dug his heels in and found that will, that very few people in sport have ever found. That’s part of what made him so great, so he sticks to his guns.”
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