Tennis News: With misjudged anti-vax stand, will Novak Djokovic retain his mojo?
When Novak Djokovic first aired his scepticism of vaccinations, he probably never expected that his words could have altered perceptions of him to the point where many were willing to overlook his admittedly impressive tennis records
Novak DjokovicYet, with the significant part of the 2022 tennis season ending, it is safe to say that the Serbian has not truly recovered from the Australian Open storm that derailed his start to the season.
For the uninitiated, Djokovic, the defending Australian Open champion, claimed to have gotten a vaccine exemption to play in Australia.
The Australian government, it is worth noting, had a strict “no vaccine, no entry” policy and was criticized for allowing the unvaccinated Serbian an exemption.
However, there was a twist in the tale. Due to discrepancies in his application, it turned out that he was not eligible for an exemption after all.
What followed were the farcical scenes involving Djokovic being detained in a centre used for illegal immigrants – while eventually being deported, then suing the Australian government and losing that case too.
But, aside from the apparent PR nightmare that this was for the then-world number 1, it is clear it impacted him on the court too. He lost his world number one ranking and ended the year with only the Wimbledon crown.
To make things worse, however, this counted for nothing in the ranking points due to the ATP and WTA removing ranking points from the tournament due to their unilateral decision to ban Russian athletes.
As such, he won only one Grand Slam this year. But, to make things worse, he was ruled out of two Slams – the Australian Open and US Open – where he would have been a favourite to win.
And it was down to no other reason than his decision not to take the vaccine.
To be fair to Djokovic, he said he would be willing to forego tournaments that didn’t allow unvaccinated players, as standing up for his beliefs mattered more than any tennis laurels.
Yet Djokovic seemed to forget the simple fact that the only reason his words on this matter hold so much weight is that he is known for his achievements on the court.
Was it not that he’s a 21-time Grand Slam winner, his opinion on such things would not generate such controversy?
But perhaps the saddest fall-out of this all is that a large section of fans, for better or worse, has stopped counting him among the sport’s greats.
Because Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are the highest calibre role models, Djokovic actively discouraging many to be responsible regarding COVID-19 protocols has seen his stock drop among neutral fans.
And until the world reaches a point where COVID restrictions become a thing of the past, it will continue to affect his on-court career too.
Sadly, that is the cross Djokovic will have to bear for the rest of his career.