Novak Djokovic will be allowed to defend Wimbledon title, says Tim Henman

Tim Henman says Novak Djokovic will be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year despite his refusal to get vaccinated.

Djokovic was deported from Australia on the eve of the Australian Open due to the public perception of his vaccination beliefs.

He confirmed on Tuesday that he is still unvaccinated and does not plan on changing that, insisting he is prepared to miss tournaments to maintain that position.

Henman, though, who sits on the Wimbledon All England Club Committee, says he is not envisioning a problem for the Serbian when he attempts to defend his title this summer.

"To get into the United Kingdom at the moment, those are the guidelines the Championship will be following at this stage. At this moment in time [participation rules are] going to be government-led."

Djokovic has been heavily criticised for what many consider to be an anti0vaccination stance despite his assurances to the contrary.

However, Henman has described the stance as "courageous".

"I do understand his concerns. I would reiterate it is absolutely his prerogative to have the vaccine or not.

"As a former player and a tennis fan, it was probably not what I wanted to hear in that interview, but probably what I expected.

"As he freely admitted, he is going to be severely restricted as to where he can travel to and therefore play without being vaccinated.

"By taking himself out of the chance to compete in Grand Slams he is certainly jeopardising his chances of being the greatest male player of all time and I think that speaks volumes of his courage, conviction and belief that this is what is best for him.

"You would have thought that very little is going to sway his opinion."