Rafael Nadal's former coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, has criticised Novak Djokovic's opinions on vaccination for the Covid-19 virus.
Djokovic has long defended his stance on not getting the Covid-19 vaccine since he was deported from Australia in 2022 due to his unvaccinated status. The decision from the 35-year-old has also led to his exclusion from entering US tournaments this season as he remains unvaccinated.
When speaking about the situation to the Spanish news outlet El Espanol, Uncle Toni shared his opinions on people who are unvaccinated. In particular, he outlined how much worse the pandemic could have been if more people thought like Djokovic over the past three years.
"If everyone had done the same thing as Djokovic regarding vaccination, there would have been 10 times more deaths,"
It is not the first time Nadal has opposed Djokovic's outlook on vaccinations. During Djokovic's battle against the Australian authorities to compete at the 2022 Australian Open, Nadal wrote a piece for El Pais, which pleaded with the Serbian to be reasonable.
"There are almost six million people who have lost their lives due to this damn virus and many other millions who have received the vaccine," Toni wrote in his El Pais column. "I want to think that Novak is no stranger to all this and that he will clear up the doubts as a sign of human sensitivity and understanding."
Despite Djokovic's ban from entering countries where vaccination status is mandatory, it is likely that he will be able to compete in more competitions later this year. US President Joe Biden announced that Covid-19 restrictions for visitors would be lifted on May 11, 2023, so Djokovic should return for the US Open in September.
The Serbian player returned to action at the Monte Carlo Masters this week. But he crashed out in the round of 16 after losing to Lorenzo Musetti
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