Pune, February 17: Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Thursday urged Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The 20-time Grand Slam winner has remained unvaccinated against coronavirus and has maintained that he is willing to miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to take the jab.

Posting a video of himself playing tennis, Poonawalla, whose Pune-based firm manufactures anti-COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, tweeted, "I respect your personal views on not getting vaccinated @DjokerNole and love watching you play, but I hope you change your mind. In the meantime, the rest of us now might stand a chance at a Grand Slam."

Last month, Djokovic was prevented from participating in the Australian Open tournament due to his unvaccinated status. The 34-year-old tennis superstar was detained and eventually deported from Australia for failing to meet that country's strict vaccination requirements. Sania Mirza and Lucie Hradecka Enter Semifinals of Dubai Tennis Championships 2022.

A few days ago, Djokovic was quoted as saying that he is still not vaccinated and prepared to sacrifice titles to stay that way. However, the No 1-ranked tennis player has maintained he is not opposed to vaccinations.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)