Djokovic could miss tournaments due to vaccine status - Gilbert
A judge released the world No. 1 from an immigration detention center this week after his visa was cancelled by border officials
Novak Djokovic was on course to break the men's record for Grand Slam titles but his aversion to receiving the Covid-19 vaccine could jeopardise his participation in future tournaments, ESPN tennis analyst Brad Gilbert said on Wednesday.
It remains unclear whether Djokovic, the winner of a record-equalling 20 Grand Slam titles, will be allowed to compete at next week's Australian Open amid a dispute with the Australian government over his medical exemption to taking the vaccine.
A judge released the world No. 1 from an immigration detention center this week after his visa was cancelled by border officials.
Djokovic has since blamed human error for a mistake in his immigration paperwork and apologised for breaking isolation for a photoshoot when he had Covid-19 last month, raising the prospect that he could still be deported.
"If you'd have asked me six months ago or nine months ago, even at the US Open, I thought he was well on his way to smashing the men's record," Gilbert, a coach and former player, told reporters.
"I actually thought that he would end up passing Margaret Court. I thought he might get 25 to 27 majors."