Novak Djokovic flies in a vaccination storm at the Australian Open | Australian Open 2022

[ad_1]

Towards the end of last year, with thoughts turning to next season, and players considering their involvement in Melbourne Park, Novak Djokovic gave an interview to Serbian magazine Blic. He described questions about vaccination status as “inappropriate” and bemoaned the role of the media. He was clearly blunt: “Your editors can take what I just said and turn it into a scandal,” he said. “I don’t want to be a part of that storm.”

During the first week of the Australian tennis summer, a storm arrived when Djokovic announced on social media that he had obtained an “exemption permit” to travel to Australia without a vaccination.

Over the past few months, vaccination requirements for players wanting to compete in the Australian Open have left a deep mark on the pro tours. The use of Covid vaccines in tennis has been very slow, but once Victorian state government rules were confirmed, the vaccination rate soared (the ATP said 95% of their top 100 players had been vaccinated). It just made the world’s #1 unresolved state more visible and worthwhile.

In a sense, Djokovic’s announcement is at least a welcome end to such ongoing speculation. But once in Melbourne, he will be asked again and again to explain how the best tennis player in the world, of all people, managed to get an exemption? The amount of information shared about the app will be entirely his choice.

While Djokovic has not explicitly disclosed his vaccination status, he has provided several indications of his overall attitude. Long before vaccines were available, he expressed concern about the need to be vaccinated in order to travel. He has often stressed the importance of embracing “natural” solutions. Early in the pandemic, he had live chats on Instagram talking about how the power of gratitude can “turn the most toxic food, or perhaps the most polluted water into the most healing water.” After he underwent surgery on his right elbow in 2018, an operation that has allowed him to win nine Grand Slam titles since then, he said he cried for three days.

His belief in alternative medicine complements his commitment to alternative history. He often retreats to the hills in Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he meets businessman Samir Osmanagic – whose claims of ancient man-made structures endowed with magical healing powers have been refuted by scholars, turning the hills into a lucrative tourist destination. . Djokovic also expressed support for the ultra-nationalist alternative historian Jovan Dirich, whose writings claim, among other things, that many European cultures, including the ancient Greeks, Celts, and Etruscans, are descended from the Serbs.

Novak Djokovic must reveal why he got a vaccine exemption, says Tennis Australia chief – VIDEO

Djokovic is unwavering in his commitment to his beliefs off the court, however questionable they may be, and singular thinking is also evident in his belief in the methods that led to his success on court. Since the criteria for the Australian Open became clear, it always seemed that Djokovic intended to find a way to compete in the tournament and continue to push him down history at a critical moment for tennis, but only without compromising these beliefs. Something he seems to have achieved.

Last year, one of the chaotic images of the Australian Open was the constant presence of tournament director Craig Tilley on television as he managed a sudden shutdown that prevented fans from attending most of the tournament. Following Djokovic’s announcement, Tiley returned to a similar role on Wednesday as he stressed the lack of positive treatment for Djokovic and strengthened the strength of the medical exemption process. The waiver requests have been reviewed by two independent teams of experts, one compiled by Tennis Australia and the other by the Victorian government, which Tilly describes as a process stricter than ordinary citizens.

On Wednesday, another potential obstacle to his participation emerged, when Australia’s Minister of Home Affairs, Karen Andrews, said it would be the federal government that would “enforce our requirements at the Australian border”, regardless of the decision by Tennis Australia and the Victorian government not to vaccinate the tournament’s entry.

It is unclear what response Djokovic will get upon his arrival. He is popular with a wide range of players due to the concern he has expressed towards lower-ranking members of the ATP Tour, but as the world’s number one player, he is at the same time a clear beneficiary of the perks afforded to top players. The sarcasm shown by some was reflected in comments by Jimmy Murray, who indicated he did not think he would have been granted an exemption, and Alex de Minaur who subtly described the topic as “interesting” and wished other applicants would receive the same treatment.

On social media, the reaction to Djokovic’s statement from the Australian public has been largely hostile, with many calling on fans to boo him if he appears in Melbourne.

Djokovic is the most successful Australian Open singles player of the Open era and will be seeking a 10th title here this year. He achieved this success in a country with a large population of Serb origin, who have been very supportive of him all along. But in the past year, his attempts to secure better quarantine conditions for players lacked tact and pitted many against him. This year, there is widespread concern in the community as the virus takes hold again and basic tools such as rapid antigen tests become difficult to obtain. With Djokovic entering the country, except for the rules most people adhere to, more storms will come.

[ad_2]