TENNIS

If forced to choose, Novak Djokovic said he would skip the French Open and Wimbledon, foregoing the chance to catch Rafael Nadal and his record haul of 21 Grand Slams titles, rather than get vaccinated against COVID-19.

And the No. 1-ranked tennis player is also still smarting about being deported last month from Australia in a drama about his vaccination status that polarized opinion worldwide. Speaking in an interview broadcast Tuesday by the BBC, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said he is still not vaccinated, and prepared to sacrifice titles to stay that way.

If need be, not defending his titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and missing other tournaments is “the price that I am willing to pay,” said the 34-year-old Serb, comments likely to further boost his hero-status among some opponents of vaccination. Djokovic said he is not opposed to vaccinations and sought to distance himself from anti-vaccination campaigners, saying: “I have never said that I am part of that movement.”

But he said “everyone has the right to choose, to act, or say what ever they feel is appropriate for them” and that he believes in “the freedom to choose what you put into your body. And, for me, that is essential.”

“I am trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can,” he said, adding that he has always been careful about everything he ingests. “Based on all the information that I got, I decided not to take the vaccine, as of today. I understand the consequences of my decision. I understand that not being vaccinated today, you know, I am unable to travel to most of the tournaments at the moment.”

Asked if he would be prepared to miss the French Open in May, he repeated: “That is the price that I am willing to pay.”

Also asked if would be ready to skip Wimbledon, he added: “Yes.”

SOCCER

PREMIER LEAGUE: Cristiano Ronaldo ended his six-game goal drought by lashing in a 51st-minute goal to set Manchester United on its way to a 2-0 win over Brighton that moved the team into fourth place.

Bruno Fernandes added a second goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time, with virtually the last kick of the game.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: After teammate Lionel Messi missed a penalty, Kylian Mbappe saved his team again by scoring a brilliant solo goal deep into stoppage time as Paris Saint-Germain beat Real Madrid 1-0 in their last-16 match.

Mbappe has rescued PSG many times with late goals in the French league this season – as recently as last Friday – and he did so again on the biggest stage.

After taking a back-heeled pass from substitute Neymar in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time of the first leg, Mbappe cut inside two players down the left and shot the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

• Manchester City scored four first-half goals to beat Sporting 5-0 in the last 16 at Lisbon. Bernardo Silva scored twice.

AUTO RACING

DAYTONA 500: Country music star Trace Adkins will sing the national anthem prior to Sunday’s sold-out Daytona 500, NASCAR announced Tuesday.

Daytona International Speedway is back to full capacity a year after the pandemic roughly limited attendance to 30,000 fans inside the sprawling facility that usually packs more than 100,000 NASCAR fans. Adkins has sold more than 11 million albums over a 25-year career and is a multi-time Grammy nominee.

Hall of Fame cornerback Charles Woodson was named grand marshal and will give the command for drivers to start their engines.

BASKETBALL

WORLD CUP: A year removed from his last playing experience with the national team, 40-year-old Joe Johnson was among 12 players announced as the roster for a pair of Basketball World Cup qualifying games later this month.

Also picked: Jordan Bell, Tarik Black, Brian Bowen II, Langston Galloway, Jared Harper, Juwan Morgan, Matt Ryan, David Stockton, Rayjon Tucker, Paul Watson and Justin Wright-Foreman. Most of the players are coming from the G League, and most have at least a small amount of NBA experience.

Jim Boylen, who led the Americans to a 1-1 record during a pair of qualifying games in Mexico in November, will again coach the U.S. in these qualifiers. The Americans open camp on Friday, in advance of playing Puerto Rico on Feb. 24 and Mexico on Feb. 27, both of those games in Washington.

Johnson – a seven-time NBA All-Star who appeared in one game with Boston this season – last played for USA Basketball in AmeriCup qualifying in February 2021. Bowen and Stockton also have past USA Basketball qualifying-game experience.