"I thought how he handled what happened in Australia and America has been great, he didn't even winge about it, he argued his position" - British politician Claire Fox on Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios of Australia to win his fourth successive Wimbledon title on Sunday.
British author and politician Claire Fox, who was a panelist on the Talk TV show 'Plank of the Week', lauded the Serb for the manner in which he handled the controversies regarding his vaccination status.
"I also thought how he handled what happened in Australia and America has been great. I thought he was treated abysmally by Australia where he was refused play because of his medical status, his decision about his own body not to take a vaccine right," Fox said.
"Not one I'd agree with but who cares, it's not my body, it's his body. But, he didn't even winge about it. He argued his position. They keep saying to him, "why have you given up on these big tournaments just for this and he says, 'because I've got principles'. What a joy, he is not only a brilliant tennis player, but he's a brilliant tennis player with principles," she added.
Djokovic's Wimbledon win saw a mention in Gary Linekar's tweet, with the former England striker taking a dig at the World No. 7 for his inability to overrule a verdict on having his visa revoked during the Australian Open earlier this year.
"Congratulations to the brilliant @DjokerNole who finally wins a court battle against an Australian," Linekar tweeted.
Congratulations to the brilliant @DjokerNole who finally wins a court battle against an Australian.
Linekar was thus nominated by Talk TV host Mike Graham for Plank of the Week following his comments on the 21-time Grand Slam champion.
🏻 youtu.be/aH7qz6hZGJgMike Graham has nominated Gary Lineker for Plank Of The Week.
Find out why 👉🏻 youtu.be/aH7qz6hZGJg
@iromg | @Fox_Claire | @willgeddes | @GaryLineker https://t.co/F6PWNqqZIY
Claire Fox sought to contrast the two sportsmen from different generations, calling Linekar "nasty and bitter" compared to the seven-time Wimbledon champion who she described as "classy."
"I think it's just the contrast as well. Gary Linekar could be on Plank of the Week for all sorts of programmes for everything all the time because of the tweets he puts out. He is nasty and he is bitter. It's the contrast with Djokovic. He's been so classy right. He was a classy winner over the weekend," Fox said.
Novak Djokovic has consistently maintained that he will not get vaccinated
In an interview with the BBC, recorded in February, Novak Djokovic spoke extensively on why he was willing to forego being called the greatest in order to stand up for what be believed in.
The former World No. 1 may miss out on playing at the US Open and the 2023 Australian Open on account of his vaccination status.
The BBC presenter asked Djokovic why he would give up the chance to be the GOAT tennis player, his answer, ‘because the principle of being able to chose what goes in my own body is worth more than any trophy or tournament’
That is a role model. https://t.co/v5EACw2qYh
The Serb, who has won the Australian Open title nine times, lost an opportunity to win a fourth consecutive title in Melbourne this year.
The 35-year-old went down to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the French Open but reigned supreme at SW19 where he won a record seventh title and is now one short of Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles.