Tennis star Novak Djokovic has been working with many ‘PR consultants’ around the world following the controversy surrounding his deportation from Australia and the revelation that he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Djokovic, who played his first match of the season in Dubai on Monday, hopes by speaking publicly about his opinion of the vaccine it will reduce the negativity surrounding him. The 20-time Grand Slam champion told the BBC last week that he was willing to miss tournaments due to not being jabbed. He says his decision to not be vaccinated is because he has reservations about what impact it may have on his body in the long term. Even though it has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, Djokovic is the only player in the top 100 on the men’s Tour yet to have received a vaccine.
The comments came after a dramatic start to the season which saw him involved in a legal battle with Australian authorities over his visa. Djokovic entered the country on the basis that he had recently been infected with the virus which gave him a medical exemption to play at Melbourne Park. However, border officials stated that this doesn’t meet their requirements for a visa. The Serbian was then moved to a immigration hotel before winning a court hearing that overturned the decision. However, his visa was canceled for a second time by a government official and subsequently he was deported.
Undoubtedly the past couple of weeks have been a PR nightmare for Djokovic and his team with some speculation mounting over how his sponsors might react. Car maker Peugeot has stated that they intend to continue collaborating with the tennis player over the foreseeable future. However, other sponsors have not publicly commented on the matter.
“I have many consultants in terms of PR around the world. I have had people from a few different places around the world just trying to manage this situation as best as possible because even though I have plenty of experience with the media, actually mostly sports media, I do feel comfortable to speak with all of you, but obviously circumstances of this situation in Australia has exceeded and escalated,” Djokovic explained following his first round win ion Dubai.
“It hasn’t been only connected to the sport. There was a lot of different areas of life, including politics, that obviously got involved in this case. Of course, for me, it was very important to be ready when I speak to the media to understand the dynamics.”
It has been reported by The Telegraph that Djokovic’s BBC interview was set up with the help of a British-based PR company that he is reportedly working with. Although there has been no official word on that matter.
“In terms of image, I really don’t know. Of course, there were not many positive articles about this whole situation in the last month or so. But ever since my interview with the BBC, I think things are maybe shifting a little bit. I’m hoping. But I understand there’s still a lot of speculations and people questioning,” he continued.
“I said what I needed to say, I’ve always been very open and transparent, try to speak with the media that maybe criticise me more or not, whatever. I’m there. I’m open to answer any question. Hopefully things will shift in a positive way for me.”
According to Forbes magazine, Djokovic was the 46th highest-paid athlete in the world between May 1, 2020, and May 1, 2021. During that period he earned an estimated $34.5M with $30M of that coming from endorsements alone.
