Marina Izidro: For many, Djokovic went from idol to disappointment

I was very close to Novak Djokovic twice, at tennis tournaments in London before the pandemic. At the ATP Finals, the Serbian passed me and smiled sympathetically at the end of a match. At Wimbledon, I interviewed him after an incredible five-plus hour final against Roger Federer.

Djokovic had a charming aura, he was an idol, champion, good example, funny. Everyone wanted to be close to him. Now, he is an extremely controversial figure and, for many fans, a disappointment.

Those who follow sports remember that, in June 2020, in a world without vaccines and with countless lives being lost every day to the coronavirus, Djokovic organized a tournament with audiences in Serbia and Croatia. Several tennis players were infected, including him.

The bad example for the statements he gave against immunization earned him nicknames “Novax” and “No-vac”. But the world number one, who never revealed his vaccination status, is now a laughing stock. Much is already known about the soap opera of the Australian Open, which starts next week, but some points are still unclear.

To enter the country, foreign visitors must be fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption. Djokovic announced that he had gotten the exemption and headed for Melbourne. Upon arrival at the airport, the permit approved by the Australian Tennis Federation was not accepted by the federal government due to lack of evidence and the visa was cancelled. The tennis player was sent to a quarantine hotel until the decision on his deportation, scheduled for Monday (10) in Australia.

Defending champion of the tournament and in search of a 21st Grand Slam title that would see him overtake Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic doesn’t seem to understand that no one, not even he, is above the law. In trying to compete at any cost, he found himself on the doorstep of a serious country that still faces restrictions, even with 90% of the population double vaccinated.

If the reaction of the Australians was one of indignation and generated a diplomatic crisis that involved even the prime minister, the one of the tennis players was of disdain. Jamie Murray joked that if he had asked for permission, he probably wouldn’t have gotten it. Nadal gave a moral lesson and said that “the world has suffered enough for us not to follow the rules”.

Some questions remain: why was the medical exception not accepted by immigration? There is an unconfirmed hypothesis that Djokovic presented proof of recent Covid-19 infection, but was that the criteria for release? What about the tournament’s reputation, which granted other permissions?

If he enters the country, how much will his preparation be hampered, since he spent hours on a flight, as many at the airport, days isolated in a hotel? How is the career of a 34-year-old athlete who will find it difficult to enter other countries? If he has a medical justification that prevents him from taking the vaccine, why not explain himself? As a public person and idol, wouldn’t you be more honest and clarify the situation?

Regardless of the end of the story, the case shows that patience with unvaccinated people is getting less and less. It is a personal choice not to be immunized, but our individual freedom ends when it affects the other. Djokovic knew the rules. Even if you manage to compete, you will leave with your reputation shattered. For those who are not used to losing, it must be hard to be the protagonist of the sport’s first major embarrassment in 2022.