Andy Roddick maintains he was right to criticize Novak Djokovic about vaccination non-compliance before Australian Open controversy
Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick recently reaffirmed his 2021 criticism of Novak Djokovic over his unvaccinated status, much before the 2022 infamous Australian Open fiasco.
During the 2021 Indian Wells Masters, Roddick was called for an interview where he was asked to share his opinions on players getting the vaccine to be eligible to play in tournaments due to the rise of COVID.
In the interview, the American touched upon the case of a player testing positive, resulting in the whole draw going into quarantine, and how the Indian Wells tournament was also postponed from March to October.
Speaking further, the former US Open winner said that the virus doesn't care about the schedule. Recently crowned Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia for his unvaccinated status in 2022.
In his video, Roddick had mentioned the need to get vaccinated by making "responsible decisions" if one wanted to play in the Melbourne Major.
"This virus doesn't care what plans are made....safety first, hopefully the players make responsible decisions. It looks like a personal decision, but listen, you have to be vaccinated to go," Roddick said.
Soon after the Serbian won the Australian Open title, a social media user shared the video on Twitter and "mocked" Roddick for his views in the said interview.
Whew boy you really nailed this @andyroddick 🥴 twitter.com/TennisChannel/…
Roddick replied back to the trolls by maintaining his views on Djokovic. He further added that the 35-year-old's on-court brilliance did not change his opinion.
"Which part of this was wrong? You did have to be vaccinated to go in 2022 ……. Novaks success today (amazing performance) doesn’t mean I was wrong in this clip. You may not like what I said but it was accurate," Roddick tweeted.
@snorman1776 Which part of this was wrong? You did have to be vaccinated to go in 2022 ……. Novaks success today (amazing performance) doesn’t mean I was wrong in this clip. You may not like what I said but it was accurate
"I am motivated to win as many slams as possible" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to win the 22nd Grand Slam of his career, equaling Rafael Nadal's tally.
At the post-match press conference, the Serbian legend revealed his desire to win as many trophies as he can before he hangs up his boots.
"Of course I am motivated to win as many slams as possible. At this stage of my career, these trophies are the biggest motivational factor of why I still compete. That's the case without a doubt," he said.
With his all-important win over Tsitsipas, Novak Djokovic will make his return to the top spot in the ATP singles rankings on Monday (January 30).