Novak Djokovic’s angry wife Jelena gets into UGLY online fight over his anti-vaxxer beliefs after Serb won his seventh Wimbledon title
- Jelena was angry Ben Rothenberg referred to Novak as ‘anti-vax poster boy’
- She referred to his sentiments as a ‘judgemental narrative’ that fitted his agenda
- The Serb will likely not be allowed to play in the US Open due to his vax status
- Djokovic beat Nick Kyrgios in four sets to claim the Wimbledon title on Sunday
Fresh off celebrating husband Novak Djokovic’s win in the Wimbledon final, Jelena Djokovic has become embroiled in an online slanging match after prominent tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg called her husband an ‘anti-vax poster boy.’
Djokovic has been one of the world’s most high-profile Covid-19 vaccination resisters, and was deported from Australia ahead of the Open in January when the federal government decided he could stoke ‘anti-vaccine sentiment’.
After Djokovic’s win in the Wimbledon men’s final, Rothenberg asked him whether he would get vaccinated soon in order to compete in the US Open in August.
Novak Djokovic and wife Jelena at the Wimbledon Champions dinner on July 10
‘You do still have time to get vaccinated before New York to make it in time for the US. Is that something you’ve completely closed your mind to as an option going forward?’ asked Rothenberg in the post-match press conference.
Djokovic’s reply was strong and succinct: ‘Yes.’
Rothenberg then took to Twitter to label the star Serb an ‘anti-vax poster boy’ who has played in his last Grand Slam for the year, unless there is a ‘swift change in US immigration law’.
Novak Djokovic (centre) kisses wife Jelena Djokovic after winning the Wimbledon final
Jelena didn’t take too kindly Rothenberg’s description of her husband and kicked off the very public online stoush by taking issue with the description.
‘Excuse me. Just making sure that it is noted that YOU tagged him as antivax poster boy for whatever reason you have. He simply responded what HIS body choice is,’ she wrote in reply.
Djokovic has previously said he would rather give up the chance to compete for trophies than get vaccinated – something Rothenberg pointed to when describing why he was, in fact, an ‘anti-vax poster boy.’.
Novak Djokovic hits from the baseline during his four-set win over Nick Kyrgios in the final
‘I understand that it’s his choice, but I also am saying that his decision to be so firmly against the vaccines that it limits his ability to play tournaments has made him, unwittingly or not, into a huge icon of the anti-vax movement,’ wrote Rothenberg.
‘I saw this very clearly during Australia.’
That only appeared to anger Jelena further.
‘You are creating a very judgmental narrative that fits your agenda. He is simply choosing what’s best for his body. If he is not playing because of making that choice, he is fine with it,’ she wrote.
Jelena Djokovic watches husband Novak receive the Wimbledon trophy with daughter Tara
Novak Djokovic said in February that he was not ‘anti-vaccination’ but rather just ‘pro freedom of choice’ in an interview with the BBC.
‘I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body,’ Djokovic said.
‘I understand not being vaccinated today, I’m unable to travel to most of the tournaments at the moment. That is the price that I’m willing to pay.’
Rothenberg said he could ‘accept’ people being ‘judgemental’, but believes ‘every citizen, especially public figures, had a duty to act responsibly with public health actions and messaging during the pandemic’.
Jelena Djokovic watching on earlier in the tournament
Novak Djokovic holds the Wimbledon trophy aloft after his win over Nick Kyrgios in the final
Jelena ended the online spat with a scathing reply, suggesting Rothenberg was ‘also an influential figure’ who shouldn’t ‘continuously disappoint’.
‘Thank you for sharing your beliefs. I hope you don’t get judged for them. Or become a poster boy for hatred and bullying. You never know,’ she wrote.
The USA requires any foreigners to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to enter the country.
With the US Open due to begin on August 29, Djokovic would need to quickly change his beliefs, or hope for some kind of miraculous law change.
Djokovic (left centre) was joined by the likes of Alex Zverev and Dominic Thiem for a party in a nightclub following the completion of the Adria Tour event in 2020
Djokovic has always had a somewhat unorthodox approach to his health, while wife Jelena was previously hit with a false information warning on Facebook over a 5G post she shared, linking the towers to the pandemic.
Then came the Adria Tour, a series of exhibitions around the Balkans in 2020, which showed scant disregard for Covid restrictions.
Amid nightclub carousing and close quarters games of basketball many of its participants – including Djokovic and his wife – tested positive for the virus.
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