Novak Djokovic has said he would rather miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to get a Covid vaccine.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, he said he should not be associated with the anti-vax movement, but supported an individual's right to choose.

Djokovic was asked if he would sacrifice taking part in competitions such as Wimbledon and the French Open over his stance on the vaccine.

"Yes, that is the price that I'm willing to pay," he said.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner was deported from Australia last month after the government cancelled his visa in a row over his vaccine status.

Djokovic, who is the world's number one men's tennis player, said he had obtained a medical exemption to enter the country to play in the Australian Open as he had recently recovered from Covid-19.

However, the country's immigration minister, Alex Hawke, personally cancelled the 34-year-old's visa, on the grounds that his presence could incite "civil unrest" and encourage anti-vaccine sentiment.

"I was never against vaccination," he told the BBC, confirming that he'd had vaccines as a child, "but I've always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body."

In a wide-ranging interview, his first since he was detained in Melbourne in January, Djokovic addressed speculation about the timing of his positive Covid case in December and discussed his own attitude towards the vaccine.

“I’m part of a very global sport that is played every single week in a different location. So I understand the consequences of my decision and one of the consequences of my decision was not going to Australia, and I was prepared not to go, and I understand that not being vaccinated today, I’m unable to travel to most of the tournaments at the moment.”

Djokovic said he had “always been a great student of wellness, wellbeing, health, nutrition”.

“As an elite professional athlete, I have always carefully reviewed, assessed, everything that comes in from the supplements, food, the water that I drink, or sports drinks, anything really, that comes into my body as a fuel. Based on all the informations that I got, I decided not to take the vaccine as of today.”