There’s something extraordinary about Novak Djokovic. At 38, while his rivals have long bowed out, he's still powering through Grand Slams and rewriting tennis history. His recent run into the quarterfinals of the French Open is not just impressive — it’s unprecedented at his age.
I couldn’t help but reflect on this. What makes him different? Why has he outlasted Federer, Nadal, and Murray — players of equal calibre, all of whom are now retired or sidelined? The answer may lie in something few want to talk about: his unvaccinated status.
Before you stop reading, this isn’t about ideology — it’s about physiology. And the deeper I looked, the more I began to see a pattern that could be relevant not just to elite athletes, but to many ordinary people suffering with persistent joint and tendon pain.
The Common Thread: Inflammation
Injuries ended the careers of Djokovic’s peers. Of course, Djokovic has had injuries too — even a knee issue in 2024. But he seems to recover faster, more fully, and with fewer complications than most. Why?
The difference, I believe, lies in inflammation — or more precisely, how the body regulates it.
Most people associate pain with the joint itself. But more often than not, it’s the tendons — those cable-like structures that connect muscle to bone — that are the hidden source of chronic pain. This is especially true for athletes, but it’s also something I’ve seen in everyday people: from shoulder stiffness to plantar fasciitis to hip pain. These are inflammatory conditions. And here’s the link — inflammation is tightly controlled by your immune system, especially by cells called T regulatory cells (Tregs).
When Tregs are damaged or depleted, inflammation runs wild. And recent research shows that both COVID infection and, more controversially, COVID vaccination can impair these regulatory pathways — particularly in those who are genetically or epigenetically susceptible.
What COVID Did to the Immune System
Think of the immune system as a bar full of rowdy guests. Your T effector cells are the ones itching to fight — they go after viruses, bacteria, even your own tissues when confused. Your Tregs are the peacekeepers — the calm voice of reason, keeping the inflammatory brawl from breaking out.
COVID — and in some cases, the COVID vaccines — disrupted that balance.
If you already had low-level inflammation in your tendons or joints (and most people do, silently), that disruption could be like pouring petrol on a smouldering fire. The result? Flare-ups of tendonitis, bursitis, and persistent joint pain.
Why This Matters to You
You may not be an elite athlete. But if you're suffering from:
Persistent shoulder pain,
Knee stiffness that just won’t go away,
Unexplained tendon aches months after a mild COVID illness or booster shot,
...then your regulatory immune system could be out of balance too.
That’s why I’ve created a short survey to help you reflect on your own symptoms and start connecting the dots. You’ll also get access to a webinar where we unpack this further — not just to discuss what went wrong, but how to restore that balance and let your body heal.
Take the Joint & Tendon Inflammation Survey Here
A Study That Raises Questions
A Korean study, which looked at over 2 million people, found a clear correlation between COVID-19 vaccination and the incidence of inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders. This wasn’t a fringe analysis — they tracked eight distinct conditions, from rotator cuff injuries to herniated discs. The vaccinated population had significantly higher diagnosis rates than the unvaccinated.
