Djokovic spoke up: I want to distance myself; "I've always tried to be apolitical"

Djokovic spoke up: I want to distance myself; "I've always tried to be apolitical"

"Given the current civil protests throughout Serbia, which indicate the need for a serious and concrete approach to important environmental issues, I decided to address the public, convinced of the great importance of these topics for all of us," Djokovic wrote, adding:

"I am aware that there are other demands that are heard at the protest, which have a political connotation. I want to distance myself from 'position' and 'opposition', political currents of any kind. I have always tried to be apolitical. One cannot emphasize one's personal attitude and opinion on the basic elements for life and health such as Air, Water and Food without being "marked" as a leftist, rightist, oppositionist, democrat, progressive, socialist, etc."

According to him, he personally chooses whether to go public and says what he thinks about some topics.

"Despite that, I personally choose to go public and say what I think about certain topics that I think are very important. I have not hesitated in the past to take a stand and fight for tennis players and athletes who need a voice and help from some 'louder' names in our sport. Although it has often put me in an awkward position in the context of the media and the condemnation / criticism I have unjustly received and continue to receive, I will not give up fighting for justice and truth."

"I am grateful to be aware of this and try to adhere to the true values ​​and principles of life that I believe are the basis of every individual's life and healthy society. I hear comments - that one athlete 'interferes where he does not belong', but I am a man primarily, and then an athlete or anything else. Like everyone else", Djokovic wrote.

"In professional tennis, in order to reach the top level of results, and stay at that level for many years, it is necessary to take care of health in every sense. Everything that happens in an athlete's life - food, rest, training, air, water, recovery, way of thinking, emotional state, character traits, directly affects the final sports result. Through my own experience I see how much self-awareness and holistic approach to health has contributed to the longevity of my career and the results I record. More than anything, this awareness has influenced positive changes in my life and the way I live and how I feel in my body".

He states that he feels he has the right to his opinion on certain topics.

"Given my personal experience so far and some knowledge in the field of health that I have gained through my career and life, I feel I have the right to share my opinion on this topic with people. Air quality in Belgrade (and throughout Serbia) is worryingly poor, for decades".

"The quality of water and food is also questionable. These are the basic elements for human health and ecosystems. If we work to ensure optimal health and a healthy environment, then our lives will be transformed for the better. If we redirect the energy we consume to sports, politics, society, music, and other things, to HEALTH, where we would end up", Novak Djokovic concluded.