World tennis No.1 Novak Djokovic says missing world tournaments is "the price" he's willing to pay due to being unvaccinated for COVID-19.
In an, Djokovic was asked if he would sacrifice competing in Wimbledon and the French Open over his stance on the vaccine.
"Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay," he said.
"The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else.
"I'm trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can."
Djokovic said he's not "against the vaccination" but supports freedom of choice to get the COVID-19 jab.
'I have never said that I'm part of that movement," he said.
"No one in the whole process during Australian saga has asked me on my stance or my opinion on vaccination... So it's really unfortunate that there has been this kind of misconception, and wrong conclusion that has been made around the world."
Djokovic said he was "keeping [his] mind open" about the possibility of being vaccinated in the future, "because we are all trying to find collectively, a best possible solution to end Covid".
"I was never against vaccination. I understand that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing, hopefully, an end soon to this virus."
The Serbian's interview with the BBC comes after he was deported from Australia ahead of the Australian Open due to concerns he would foster "anti-vaccine sentiment" and "civil unrest" as a "high profile unvaccinated individual."
Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia after the Immigration Minister's decision to cancel his visa. Source: AP Photo/Darko Bandic
Three federal court judges upheld the decision by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke to cancel Djokovic's visa, ruling it "was plainly open to the Minister to infer that Mr Djokovic had chosen not to be vaccinated because he was opposed to vaccination or did not wish to be vaccinated".
They also said, "there was evidence that Mr Djokovic had recently disregarded reasonable public health measures overseas by attending activities unmasked while COVID positive".
Speaking with the BBC, Djokovic addressed his time at the Park Hotel in Melbourne last month, where he was detained alongside 32 asylum seekers.
Prior to Djokovic's time in Park Hotel, a fire had broken out leaving asylum seekers with no access to washing machines and gym facilities.
SBS News also in December about how asylum seekers had found maggots in food during dinnertime.
The tennis great said he'd always "followed the rules" and that the Immigration Minister agreed an error on his travel declaration form was a mistake.
He said his medical exemption to getting COVID-19 vaccine due to being recently infected by the virus was approved by two independent Australian medical panels who were not told his identity.
The masked Novak Djokovic has received warm welcomes back home in Serbia since returning from Australia. (AAP) Source: AAP
"I was really sad and disappointed with the way it all ended for me in Australia. It wasn't easy," Djokovic said.
"So actually, what people probably don't know is that I was not deported from Australia on the basis that I was not vaccinated, or I broke any rules or that I made an error in my visa declaration. All of that was actually approved and validated by the Federal Court of Australia and the Minister for Immigration.
"The reason why I was deported from Australia was because the Minister for Immigration used his discretion to cancel my visa based on his perception that I might create some anti-vax sentiment in the country or in the city, which I completely disagree with."
