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Tsitsipas to get jab after changing mind

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Stefanos Tsitsipas will have the coronavirus vaccine after previously resisting.
Camera IconStefanos Tsitsipas will have the coronavirus vaccine after previously resisting. Credit: EPA

Stefanos Tsitsipas has said he plans to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, having previously declared he would only do so if the ATP Tour made it mandatory.

Greek world No.3 Tsitsipas said last month he would not get a jab due to concerns over side effects.

The ATP Tour has persisted in encouraging players to get vaccinated, with Novak Djokovic the most high profile to have stated he was opposed to it, and Tsitsipas has now backtracked on his original stance.

"I will get vaccinated this year," the 23-year-old told Greek outlet Antenna TV. "So I can go to restaurants and shops. I support all those who get vaccinated.

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"I am not a doctor; I am a tennis player, so I may not have the most substantiated opinion when it comes to medical issues."

The French Open runner-up was subject to a backlash in his homeland following his initial comments on the vaccine, with a series of top figures questioning his thought process.

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"The Covid-19 vaccine has not been tested enough because it is new and has some side effects," Tsitsipas had said.

"I know some people who've had them. I'm not against it, I just see no reason for someone in my age group to be vaccinated."

Tsitsipas is set to play for Team Europe at the Laver Cup in Boston, USA, this week after missing Greece's Davis Cup tie with Lithuania due to a foot injury.

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