Written by Staff Writer by By Katrina Matthews, CNN
French tennis player Gael Monfils may be willing to travel with a banillo in his pocket, but much less unheralded young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas says he won’t tolerate any other player shirking the recommended number of vaccinations.
Speaking to the Associated Press , the 19-year-old Greek gained national attention by defeating Monfils at Wimbledon in July, a victory that gave Tsitsipas the title of the inaugural NextGen ATP Finals.
But the thrill of winning the prestigious end-of-season tournament didn’t ease the tensions between the young Greek and Monfils, who vehemently disagreed with the ranking school.
Playmaking feats aside, Tsitsipas said he wouldn’t be bothered by a flu jab just like every other player who wants to compete at the Tour’s Grand Slams.
“Because it’s not an advantage, I don’t want it,” Tsitsipas said. “Everybody should be required to get it.”
“If he wants to compete in a Grand Slam, then I have to say he can get a flu shot,” Tsitsipas added. “But I don’t think we should do it at all.”
Little is known about Tsitsipas’ personal beliefs. (He has also said he doesn’t like Belgium: “It’s a country full of (people of) poverty, racists, and terrorists.”)
Regardless, he doesn’t plan to abstain from other vaccines, saying he’d be “shocked” if players didn’t have “no-flu” policies of their own.
Although both Tsitsipas and Monfils maintain their own personal vaccine policies, none of the other players at the NextGen Finals required players to get a flu shot on top of their recommended immunizations