1. Alex de Minaur
This rising Australian tennis star (currently world no. 42) is one to watch this Australian Open.
In light of the Djokovic saga, de Minaur empathised with Melburnians and their anger on the matter, stating that they had “gone through a lot,” especially with the city being the most locked down in the world.
“If you wanted to come into the country, you had to be double vaccinated. It was up to him, his choices, his judgement,” de Minaur said.
2. João Sousa
Portuguese player João Sousa, ranked no. 77 in the world, is excited to take to the courts soon and shared similar views on the Djokovic matter to de Minaur.
“I respect that he fights for what he believes and I can be empathetic with what he is going through in Australia, but it’s a bit selfish from him to arrive here as the only player unvaccinated,” Sousa said.
“It’s tough for us players to accept that.”
3. Rafael Nadal
Spanish superstar and world no. 6, Rafael Nadal (who currently has 20 grand slams under his belt), remained diplomatic with his thoughts on the Djokovic saga – but is a firm supporter of the vaccine.
“I believe in what the people who know about medicine say, and if the people say that we need to get vaccinated, we need to get the vaccine,” Nadal said.
