Djokovic stirred controversy in January 2022 by refusing to get vaccinated while Covid was widespread around the world.
He arrived in Australia with a medical exemption, granted through Tennis Australia's process, to play in the Australian Open. He won a court ruling in his favour, but the Australian immigration minister used his discretionary power to cancel his visa, and Djokovic was deported before the tournament began. He also missed the US Open in the same year for a similar reason.
Djokovic skipped vaccination partly because he had been infected with Covid a month earlier, in December 2021. He argued that the immunity from that infection was enough to protect him. Some sports personalities also consider their body sacred. They were concerned about their performance and possible side effects, such as myocarditis.
In a similar context, Swiss footballer Granit Xhaka obtained a fake vaccination certificate in 2022 instead of getting vaccinated. It came to light in September 2026, when public prosecutors in Lucerne, Switzerland, who were investigating a doctor suspected of issuing fake Covid certificates, opened proceedings against him.
Xhaka publicly apologised and spoke about his deep mistrust of the vaccine. Following the news, Xhaka and the Swiss Football Association jointly agreed that he would sit out the Nations League matches.
Breel Embolo was also left out of the squad, in his case over forged Covid test certificates from 2021. Swiss football officials told the media that they left the players out so the team could fully focus on the Nations League.
Djokovic and Xhaka shared the same doubts about the vaccine but chose very different paths. Djokovic refused openly and paid the price at the time, missing two Grand Slams in 2022. Xhaka chose a fake certificate, and it caught up with him four years later, costing him his national team place and leading to a criminal investigation.
Djokovic
Why some sports personalities avoided the vaccine
Case of Xhaka
Conclusion
