ESPN's 'shot of the day' is sponsored by Moderna and was given to unvaccinated Novak Djokovic

Whether it was deliberate or a happy accident, it seems like Moderna sponsoring ESPN's 'Shot of the Day' segment has produced comedic gold.

The network awarded its Shot of the Day to Novak Djokovic during his US Open campaign.

For those not in the know, the Serbian tennis star attracted a lot of attention last year before the Australian Open kicked off.

All players and staff coming into the country for the Grand Slam were required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

However, it soon materialised that Djokovic hadn't received his jab.

He later explained that he had contracted Covid-19 and believed he had sufficient anti-bodies to not pose a threat to anyone at the tournament.

Australian authorities didn't see it that way and he was eventually deported from the country.

The move was divisive to say the least and there were a lot of opinions on whether it was okay or not.

Well, fast forward more than a year and a half and Djokovic has won the US Open final against Daniil Medvedev in style.

What was hilarious though was ESPN giving Djokovic the 'Shot of the Day' award, which was sponsored by pharmaceutical company Moderna.

The irony of an unvaccinated tennis player winning a shoutout sponsored by a company that was one of the few who produced coronavirus vaccines is hilarious.

This is the second year that Moderna has sponsored the US Open and it also aired a 30-second advert on ESPN as part of its Here’s to the Changemakers campaign.

Djokovic's win at the US Open is his 24th major title.

After collecting his trophy, he told the crowd: "To make history of this sport is just something truly remarkable and special,”

“Obviously in every in every possible way, in every possible meaning of the word special.

"It's hard to describe in words.

"I had the childhood dream when I was seven, eight. I wanted to become the best player in the world and win the Wimbledon trophy. That was the only thing I wanted."

He added: "But then when I realised that, obviously I started to dream new dreams and set new objectives, new goals.

"I never imagined that I would be here standing with you talking about 24 Slams."

Featured Image Credit: Lev Radin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Topics: Sport

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

@stewartperrie