Where do you start with this Novak Djokovic story?
First of all, although it’s not the way I see things, he would be far from alone if he was in the anti-vax camp.
If that’s a principle he wants to stick by come what may, that’s his decision.
But in a world where getting vaccinated is the biggest way out of the situation we’re all in, he also has to realise there are consequences to that decision.
And he’s made a horrible misjudgement over trying to compete in the Australian Open through a medical exemption.
It’s hard to know whether it’s naivety, complacency, arrogance or stupidity.
Probably a combination of all four!
Happy New Year! Wishing you all health, love & joy in every moment & may you feel love & respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.
I’ve spent fantastic quality time with loved ones over break & today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022! pic.twitter.com/e688iSO2d4
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 4, 2022
The complacency bit I just don’t get.
I won’t have anywhere near as big a support group as Djokovic but they put in a lot of work behind the scenes as far as travel and logistics are concerned.
To not have it confirmed he would meet the criteria needed to get into the country before he flew out there just beggars belief.
It shows a level of entitlement from Djokovic and his team that he should be treated differently to the rest of us.
No wonder the Australian people and politicians reacted so angrily.
The ‘one rule for us and another for them’ mindset goes down badly at the best of times, never mind when a population has been living under some of the toughest restrictions in the world.
It just shows you how desperate Djokovic is to go past Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer with Grand Slam titles.
But for a man who seems to get more upset by a lack of love and appreciation from fans than any other top athlete, you’d think the bigger picture of how he is perceived would be at the front of his mind.
The PR battle is lost
He was already hard to like for a lot of people but this will be the final nail in the coffin as far as his PR is concerned.
And the manner in which his peers have reacted also speaks volumes.
Nobody is backing him up in the tennis locker room either, it would appear.
For selfish reasons, you can see why rivals wouldn’t be gutted he isn’t taking part.
But there hasn’t even been any sympathy after he’s been counted out.
Rafael Nadal, usually a scrupulous diplomat, very pointed in his verdict on Djokovic's predicament: 'The world has been suffering enough. Get vaccinated. If he wanted, he would playing here in Australia without problems.'
— Oliver Brown (@oliverbrown_tel) January 6, 2022
It will be intriguing to see how this plays out at the other Grand Slams.
Being vaccinated is becoming a box that has to be ticked for more and more sporting events.
Djokovic will either have to stick to his principles or get jabbed.
Because finding a loophole is something surely even he won’t try again.
Brad articulated really well the fears that we all have about testing positive at this stage.
China are very strict about who gets let into their country and we know that the jeopardy is very real.
His wife has taken leave from work and if his kids hadn’t been getting schooled online, he’d have kept them in his family bubble as well.
Going into the holding camp later this month will feel like a big moment for me but not as big as getting on the plane!
