The life of Novak Djokovic

Brut America

He's the world's number one tennis player. Today, his opposition to vaccination cost him his chance to play at the Australian Open, as he faces deportation.   This is the story of Novak Djokovic.

Transcript

00:00I do feel young, I do feel fresh, I do feel fit.

00:04I don't think about age, I don't think about any limits.

00:19They talk about mandatory vaccination,

00:22whether it will be, when it will be.

00:24They talk about the vaccine coming in 18 months.

00:30This is where I had some of my first tennis hits.

00:52The holes that you see in the walls are the consequence of the bombs during bombings.

01:00I was born and raised in a small but proud country that has gone through difficult times

01:19in the last decades.

01:21It was during that period of hardship that sports became an integral part of my life.

01:28Nothing changed for me when I saw Pete Sampras triumph at Wimbledon.

01:33He became my idol.

01:35I dreamt of being just like him, the number one tennis player in the world.

01:58I dreamt of being just like him, the number one tennis player in the world.

02:18Obviously, 2011 has been the best year so far in my career and it's going to be very

02:38difficult to repeat what I have done.

02:42But look, I've done it once, why not twice?

02:48I believe that we as tennis players, as athletes who are part of such a global sport, need

03:04to feel responsibility to return to the people who need help, especially kids, and to contribute

03:12to the social programs as much as we can.

03:26Right now, I'm trying to take the free time out of the official season, without any tournaments

03:34in these few weeks, and to come here in Serbia to visit my family and close friends, and

03:39of course be a part of humanitarian work that is very important to me and my career.

03:58Being a role model for my children brings more responsibility also on the tennis court

04:04for me, because I know that they will be more aware watching.

04:34Believing that higher energy in the soul is going to give you the right answer, because

04:58essentially we all are looking for love, happiness, and harmony.

05:11It's been 12 months ago on the surgery table, so I hope that that was the last surgery that

05:22I ever had.

05:23For several months I was experiencing some really challenging and difficult moments mentally

05:31on the court, where I was questioning everything and really doubting as well.

05:53We were discussing about the US Open and Cincinnati before, and obviously the measures

06:07there are completely different from here, so it's very difficult to compare.

06:12You can't compare it.

06:43The only for me clear thing is, if you are vaccinated, you can play in the Australian

06:58Open and everywhere.

06:59The world, in my opinion, has been suffering enough to not follow the rules.

07:12If he's not vaccinated, he must provide acceptable proof that he cannot be vaccinated for medical

07:23reasons.

07:24If that evidence is insufficient, then he won't be treated any different to anyone else,

07:28and he'll be on the next plane home.

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