While Novak Djokovic has never been as beloved as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, most tennis fans respected him, at the very least, and enjoyed the energy and work ethic he brought to the game. Novak made Federer and Nadal better players while he exposed the flaws in their games, and they both kind of hate him for it. Novak also inspires the younger players too, which is another reason why his anti-vaxx stance has been so infuriating: he has a responsibility to role model good pandemic behavior to the young players who look up to him. Regardless of the Number 1’s anti-vaxx stance, 97% of the men’s tour is now vaccinated. Novak is one of only a few holdouts.
My point about tennis fans respecting him is… that’s gone now. The Australian debacle has irreparably damaged his career and his reputation. Novak either lied about getting Covid on December 16th, or he actually got Covid on that date and proceeded to do several public events maskless and infecting children. Either option is awful, but apparently it doesn’t matter. Novak “won” in court, and I truly don’t see Australian authorities trying to revoke his visa again. Novak was released from the detention hotel yesterday, and hours after his release, he posted this on his social media:
I’m pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation. Despite all that has happened,I want to stay and try to compete @AustralianOpen
I remain focused on that. I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans. 👇 pic.twitter.com/iJVbMfQ037— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 10, 2022
For now I cannot say more but THANK YOU all for standing with me through all this and encouraging me to stay strong 🙏🙏🙏🙏
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 10, 2022
People were like: dude, aren’t you ashamed? Rafa basically called all of this a clownshow. Other players are openly talking about how embarrassing this is for the sport. I can see how, in Novak’s mind, he thinks he won some major victory and he was proven “right.” When in truth, none of this would have happened if he had just gotten the f–king vaccine.
So what’s next? Novak clearly intends to play the Australian Open, which starts next Monday. The draw will be made in a few days and Novak is the #1 seed. Rafa is the #6 seed. They could conceivably meet in the quarterfinals, just based on ranking. When Novak steps out onto Rod Laver Arena, will Aussies boo him? Will they clap and cheer? And what about after Australia? The NY Times’ Christopher Clarey has a lengthy story about what the tour will look like this year, as Covid is everywhere but tournaments still won’t do hard vaccine mandates. Clarey brings up an interesting point, which is that players entering the US to play in Indian Wells and Miami in March will likely need to be fully vaxxed. Will Novak skip the Sunshine Double? France is already making noise about how players won’t have to be vaccinated to play at Roland Garros, but those statements are already being loaded down with asterisks.
The ATP finally issued a statement about the Djoko Debacle Down Under. Their statement makes the (valid) point that Australian authorities half-assed Novak’s visa revoke and basically said that the debacle was “damaging on all fronts,” for Novak and for Australia. Then the ATP went off at the end of their statement:
More broadly, ATP continues to strongly recommend vaccination for all players on the ATP Tour, which we believe is essential for our sport to navigate the pandemic. This is based on scientific evidence supporting the health benefits provided and to comply with global travel regulations, which we anticipate will become stricter over time. We are encouraged that 97 per cent of the Top 100 players are vaccinated leading into this year’s Australian Open.
Then mandate vaccines! Stop pussyfooting around! Just mandate it and let the chips fall where they may. If Novak is going to be this big of a baby about it, guess what? That hurts the tour too.
Last thing: Novak’s family did a press conference several hours after Novak was released. They shut down the presser when they were asked about Novak socializing with children maskless after he tested positive for Covid.
One major question for Novak Djokovic at the moment is regarding his movements after testing positive on 16 December. Someone asked his family if "he was at an event on the 17th of December". This was the response: pic.twitter.com/ypIxquMHUG
— James Gray (@jamesgraysport) January 10, 2022
Photos courtesy of Instagram, Avalon Red.
Enjoy your freedom dumb ass. Oh and when you come down with Covid, please don’t tie up an ICU bed. No f’s left to give about these people.
Did you see that video quote from his Dad, saying that Novak is like Jesus suffering on the cross? That was just… priceless. Reflects I guess, how he views himself as well.
His Dad is a laughing stock. I wonder why no one from Novak’s team contacted the idiot and told him to shut that sh*t down. They HAVE to know how much damage it’s doing, not that his reputation can be repaired in any way after this circus.
Yeah, I totally agree that being detained by Australian border authority is the same as having your legs broken, nails hammered through your hands and feet, and holes gouged into your sides while slowly suffocating through an excruciatingly slow death. Truly a sign of god’s blessing that he’s made a miraculous recovery to play in the tournament.
Jesus…
It was Christmas in Serbia that day, hopefully the comparison to Jesus came from that.
He and his family seem like a bunch of sociopaths. I don’t even follow tennis and I now hate him and kind of want to watch this event in the hopes that someone else crushes him and he goes home emptyhanded.
Hearing his family’s ludicrous nonsense made me realize where Novak’s entitled arrogance comes from. Novak has passed his peak with this debacle.
A lot of questions remain about this alleged positive test in December. Scanning the QR code on the test leads to a site that shows mixed results, sometimes positive, sometimes negative, and sometimes that the test itself is invalid.
I can’t imagine he’d be so incredibly stupid as to falsify the test, but then that means he IS so incredibly stupid as to breathe his germs around children like a plague rat. What a mess. And how shameful for the entire sport.
Agreed.
There’s talk that he faked the positive test in December so that he could qualify for the medical exemption since it is recommended you don’t get the vaccine until 90-120 days after you test positive. If he wasn’t able to qualify for the exemption (since he isn’t vaccinated), his visa never would have been approved in the first place.
If he really did have COVID he went around maskless attending multiple events exposing hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people.
He’s a selfish immoral asshole.
Is he going to fake positive covid test every 3 months to get an exemption being vaccinated for next tournaments? If he is, I hope he gets slapped with quarantines so he can’t play and slip down the rankings
There are also questions about his travel/movements leading up to landing in Aus. they sign some waiver saying they won’t travel for two weeks prior to going, but Novax DID travel, and there’s documentation. another reason his visa should be revoked. dude’s a total azz.
I’m still holding out hope that he gets booted anyway.
Everything about this is legit bonkers. He looks terrible for either lying or exposing people to Covid. But he himself seems absolutely shameless. I guess if you’re dad thinks your Jesus on the cross and your fans are out there doing the most for you, you can live in a sparkly bubble. Am really curious to see how the Australian crowd treats him. Even if they boo him though, he’ll just dig deep and remember he’s just like Jesus on the cross. I hope someone creams him in the tourno.
The whole family is bonkers. His wife was out there spreading the 5G conspiracy at the outset.
Unfortunately, I see more positive comments about him than negative. He is seen as a warrior and a winner against the crazy covid mass manipulation, a true savior from the madness who showed people should rebel and they will win. It doesn’t matter it’s utter bullsh*t, it’s like when Trump won. Just unbelieveble.
Which makes things so much worse. I am so frightened for the future, truly I am, dear God.
I wonder if at least some are trolls, bad actors pushing the anti-vaxx message and this would be one way to amplify that. But who knows…
@Laalaa: This. I really wonder how his first match is going to go down (who will sit in the crowd? Vaccinated or anti-vaxx crowd?)
I honestly wish that no-one would go to his matches (like…empty stands kind of thing) but at the same time that wouldn’t be fair to whoever he’d be playing. So I guess I just hope that people boo him as much as possible, and that he loses in the first round.
That reminds me of tweet or article from long ago that said the favourite players are Federer, Nadal and whoever is playing against Djokovic. Well, I hope that will be true to AO if he plays.
Latest is apparently he lied in his declaration that he hadn’t travelled in the 14 days before he entered Australia.
There is social media evidence that he was in Serbia on Christmas and training in Spain in the new year.
I assume that he could be kicked out based on that evidence?
True, he went to Marbella. It appears he lied about that on his visa application (big surprise), which may be the basis for deportation on Wednesday. I do hope he gets deported and the tournament proceeds without his anti-vax circus.
What kind of a dumbass do you have to be to think you can get away with that? There’s PHOTO EVIDENCE. Entitlement is one helluva drug.
I hope he is deported. He only won his appeal on a matter of procedural fairness, the substance of the issue (whether a Covid positive in the last 6 months is a medical exemption from vaccination) wasn’t ruled on. So, currently there are still two outstanding issues – did he lie about his travel prior to coming to Australia and, is a positive Covid test an exemption.
I read that Australian Minister of Immigration could still revoke his visa and deport him but the decision won’t be made until tomorrow. Could this be true and hopefully they are just gathering evidence (which seems to be massive) to have an airtight case?
I really hope it’s true and not just a stalling tactique
Oh, I hope it’s true. I’m tired of this BS of bending the rules and allowing certain people to do certain things. There is no integrity to it!!! This POS should be held accountable for being an liar, and um a slimy douche bag! ; -)
So despicable, yuk.
Naomi doesn’t play, so I’m not watching anyway
What a selfish jerk, so pompous and stupid. I really would love to reach through the screen an backhand that smug, gross face.
@girl_ninja…
I’m with you!!!
How much money does Djokovic make for the ATP? I mean, Australia fudged to rules to let him fly over, and he’s still there. Kicking him out would mean that as things stand now, he would be barred from 3 (or 4 depending on how they count 3 years) Australian Opens as the law currently stands, and Djokovic is the player to beat. Do you deny him access? It’s more than clear Djokovic broke multiple rules (which Australia ignored)… so, in an election year does the money Djokovic makes for tennis and Australia outweigh what other travelers (and Australians!) need to comply with?
In Holland, which is usually quite libertarian, they mostly think he should be kicked out. Djokovic’s antivaxx stance is popular with some people, but his “Serbian defense force national Jesus hero argument” did not go over well at all. Dutch people travel all over, and many of them have come into contact with Australia’s restrictions. They don’t find giving Djokovi a free pass fair. Furthermore, Hawke (the guy that could kick Djokovic out) is anti-LGBTQ and also unpopular here. If Hawke lets Djokovic stay, it’s als seen as a slap in the face to that community.
Besides currently being in better shape than Federer and Nadal, Djokovic always stood apart from the other two for his sense of humor. His nickname is “Djoker” and people liked him for that (don’t know if you saw all the fun pictures he took during the Olympics, the one where he is doing the splits with the Belgian gymnasts comes to mind).
That’s why he is so popular, I guess sponsors loved him as he brought attention on and off tennis courts.
what I remember of Novax from the Olympics was that he bashed Simone Biles for withdrawing for her own self care and then he withdrew (for a sore elbow) FOR HIS OWN SELF CARE. oh, and that he left without a medal.
*sad trombone sound*
dude’s a thoughtless jerk and a hypocrite to boot.
No. Australia didn’t fudge the rules.
The Australia Tennis Association did plus Novak lied.
I predict he’ll be booted today, and I know many Australians, including myself will be cheering.
He made the Australian prime minister look like a clown and the country itself foolish with this yes/no/yes soap opera. And he doesn’t care in the least. I’d still want him booted before the tournament. If he does play, people should boycott. Smug ass.
I mean, our PM is a clown and I’m fine with him being exposed as one on the world stage. I hope the immigration minister boots him for lying about his travel and having Covid in December but I doubt they’ll have the guts.
If Djoker stays I expect his anti vax fans to fill the stands or hang around outside, but I hope other tennis fans boycott his matches.
Djokovic has always been despicable. Never forget his comments on women tennis players and how men should earn more because they “carry the game.” I saw him play at the US open (in a very early round a few years ago), and I’ve never rooted so hard for a player I didn’t know.
yeah, because NO ONE watched Serena, EVER, right?
/s
SMDH
I would love for her to play a match against him and beat him like Billie Jean King did to Bobby Riggs.
Is he thick skinned enough to get booed on the court? Does he feed off of audience hate, or will he boo hoo about how everyone’s mean to him. They should put the ball kids in Hazmat suits.
I hope the stadium is full of No Vaxx signs that he can see. I hope that journalists troll the shit out of him in press conferences, asking him about his important work as a Savior and Prince of Peace. Who cares about his tennis game–I want to know about his loaves and fishes game. Who will he bring back from the dead? I would want to know his plans for his crucifixion, and if the crucifixion would be televised. Have he and his dad set a date yet? What about returning in 3 days, how he was going to hook that up?
Would pressuring his sponsors to drop him do anything?
While a fantastic tennis player he is a full clown. I love that he lost the US open last year being denied the grand slam.
I’m convinced he faked the positive test result. Which got me thinking… he could easily, as he has Serbia’s government full support, fake a vaccination card. It would be despicable, but he could do it and quietly play all over the world. Yet he chooses to say he won’t get vaccinated? He distrusts science that much?
And yes this story breaks my heart as he was my favourite player.
I think he has some weird principle against the vaccine. And not having the vaccination certificate is sort of a statement.
I respect he can play tennis. He does himself no favors. He steps in it constantly. I will not watch him on tv unless I really love the other player. I tend not to watch the men much because the ATP is a —-show.
I’m Australian, double vaxxed and the way it’s going now i might not be allowed in to Victoria. But you better believe if I get to go I’m booing him so hard. Also the amount of
Refugees in that same hotel that have been there for years without an appreive is disgusting. My country is a disgrace, Scott Morrison is a war criminal