AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD APOLOGIE TO DJOKOVIC, SAYS PIETERSEN AMID ASTRAZENECA ROW

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen urged the critics of tennis player Novak Djokovic and the Australian government to apologise to the Serb over how he was treated for not taking a vaccine against Covid-19 during the peak stages of the pandemic. Pietersen's comments came after pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced the global withdrawal of its Covid-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria. AstraZeneca cited a surplus of newer vaccine options as the primary reason for withdrawing its vaccine.

"It's time for every single person (who criticised) and the Australian government to issue an apology to @DjokerNole now. I think that would be fitting as he went through HELL! It seems he was onto something…," Kevin Pietersen said in a social media post, sharing a screengrab of a news article about AstraZeneca withdrawing its vaccine globally. 

AstraZeneca, one of the leading Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers, faces allegations that its vaccine, developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford, led to fatalities and severe injuries, including Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome. Notably, it reportedly admitted in court documents that the vaccine causes side effects such as blood clots and low blood platelet counts.

Pietersen highlighted that Novak Djokovic went through 'hell'; recalling how the 24-time Grand Slam champion was deported from Australia after he arrived in Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open in 2022 for not being vaccinated against the virus. Djokovic fought a legal battle in Melbourne, but he was not allowed to stay in the country and defend his title at the season's first Grand Slam tournament. 

Djokovic was also handed a 3-year visa ban by the Australian government. However, it was revoked in 2023 and the Serb went on to win the Australian Open last year. 

Djokovic faced intense scrutiny from across the world for his stand against taking the Covid-19 vaccine. The Serb was also not allowed to compete in the US Open in 2022 due to the vaccine guidelines for non-citizens in the United States of America during the pandemic. 

Djokovic had maintained that he would be ready to miss tournaments due to lack of proof of vaccine, adding that he has the right to choose what to put in his body. The Serb stressed he was not against vaccines, but that he wanted to have the freedom to choose what he put in his body. 

2024-05-08T13:06:30Z dg43tfdfdgfd