This is already official: Novak Djokovic will not play in the ATP Cup and the Serbian team will be headed by Dusan Lajovic. It seems that we will not see the first racket of the world at the Australian Open either, and the whole point is that Novak does not want to be vaccinated. Tennis Australia allegedly tried to get a doctor for Djokovic from the Victoria state authorities, but they did not succeed. MK-Sport is trying to figure out whether it is right to make such exceptions for the main tennis star, when the whole Tour is subject to the rules.
Is it possible not to go to your favorite tournament, which you won nine times, because you are forced to get vaccinated and you don’t want to? Can. Everyone has the right to choose whether to get vaccinated. Although in the context of a global pandemic, deaths, restrictions, the burden on the health care system, endlessly mutating strains and the economic consequences of all this chaos, refusal to vaccinate can cause misunderstanding and even bewilderment, and even outrage in someone.
Novak Djokovic always said that no one should be forced, and everyone should make their own choice. It is logical, understandable and even correct.
But the state also has the right to set its own rules, and the Australian authorities have established them. The state of Victoria, where the Australian Open is held, has had the longest and most stringent quarantine in the world. And now there is another outbreak – 16,467 residents of the state, according to data from December 27, are sick with COVID-19 in an active form, 368 people are being treated in hospitals, 80 of which are in intensive care, and 38 are on artificial ventilation. Almost 20 thousand people have been recognized as contacts and are in quarantine.
In general, Australia, and in particular the state of Victoria, has every right to exclude unvaccinated foreigners from entering the country. Even if these foreigners are world tennis stars, and their participation in the series tournaments is the key to the success of the event.
Therefore, to be honest, it is not at all clear why Djokovic’s father considers the requirement to have a vaccination certificate in order to be allowed into the country as blackmail. It looks more like it is Novak who is putting pressure on the organizers.
When the demands of the authorities became known two months ago, the Serb was tortured with questions about whether he would be vaccinated, since his anti-Axer position is known throughout the world. Novak has said several times that he is not an enemy at all, he just wants to know exactly what is being injected into him and why. Of course, a wise approach, but once after two years of a pandemic, Djokovic still refuses to do it, he still did not understand why he did not figure out (with his capabilities!) – what is so terrible about these drugs.
In the end, the tennis player got tired of the questions and said: I will not disclose my status. In other words, it’s none of your business whether I’m vaccinated or not. Which, in general, is true). However, this casket is easily revealed depending on whether the player is on the list of Australian Open participants.
Only Tennis Australia found themselves in a quandary. Roger Federer said that he will miss the beginning of the season. Rafael Nadal contracted the coronavirus in Abu Dhabi, and the chances that he will still come to Australia are close to zero. Daniil Medvedev , Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev are good, of course, but people still love the Big Three, and as Nick Kiryos said , Tur still needs these three: “If they are not there, it will be a real disaster for the fans and tennis fans “.
The organizers of this catastrophe are very eager to avoid, and information has been leaked to the media that they are trying to get a medical exception from the Victoria authorities for Djokovic. Moreover, there really is a chance to come to the tournament on the medical withdrawal, but, firstly, it is strictly checked already in Australia, and secondly, there are very strict requirements for it – a tough reaction to the first dose, serious illnesses.
Moreover, Serbian publications publish different information. Informer reports that the Australian medical board has denied a medical examination to Serb Novak Djokovic and is banning entry without vaccination. And at the same time Telegraf writes that the first racket in the world received permission to play at the Australian Open.
Judging by the fact that the player withdrew from the ATP Cup, the refusal version is more correct. But was it fair to ask for such an exception at all? And even if it was an offer from the organizers, if only the first racket of the world came to Melbourne, was it fair to agree to it?
For example, French tennis player Pierre-Hugues Herbert does not want to be vaccinated and simply refused to go to Australia. And he is one of the best greenhouses in the world. Australian Olivia Gadecki made a similar choice that is worth respecting.
Djokovic, on the other hand, shrouded himself in mystery and now looks like a capricious star. I remember that last year, when he was accommodated with Rafa and Serena Williams in a separate VIP hotel in Adelaide with special quarantine conditions, the whole Tour muttered with displeasure, and some did it a little louder. Now the situation could repeat itself. Novak undoubtedly deserved special conditions. But definitely not when it comes to the health of others.
I remember that at the very beginning of the pandemic, Djokovic organized his own exhibition tournament, in which no safety rules were observed, and then half of the participants, including Novak himself, fell with the coronavirus. The Serb then heard a lot of critics in his address, but he continues to get involved in stories that do not look beautiful. Rafa and Roger are somehow more careful in this sense. This is probably why they are more loved.
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