The Worst Greatest Tennis Player
It could be the 2020 Adria Tour tournament that Novak Djokovic personally hosted where many of the players and their entourages were infected with COVID-19. It could his disqualification from the U.S. Open for hitting a ball that struck a line judge in the throat.
But most likely, the legacy of Novak Djokovic will be made this year with his exemption for this year’s Australian Open men’s draw. News.com.au reports that “Djokovic applied for a medical exemption which was granted following a rigorous review process involving two separate independent panels of medical experts.” It adds, “One of those was the Independent Medical Exemption Review Panel appointed by the Victorian Department of Health. They assessed all applications to see if they met the Australian Technical Advisory Group of Immunisation (ATAGI) guidelines.”
This exemption privileges him ahead of vaccinated players who could have potentially attended, and which will allow him the freedom to participate, while in the daily struggle most Australians are straining to get access to rapid antigen tests, as well as the result from PCR tests. In short, Australia is under historic pressure and Novak Djokovic is sitting pretty.
These types of things are a surprise no one. Administrative burdens are designed to saddle lesser mortals. Professional athletes receive what appears to be preferential treatment. The sham is that while athletes need to travel for the sporting events to take place and protocols are put in place to ensure that both the games and events, and the safety measures can co-exist. The application of the policies that govern this balance seem specialized to particular individuals.
But let’s be specific because this case is totally nuts and may have the effect of cementing Novak Djokovic’s reputation as the “Worst Greatest Tennis Player” ever to play the game. Now this is not a title that he really needed any help with. Rafael Nadal received the APT Sportsmanship Award 5 times, Roger Federer has won the award 13 times. Djokovic has never won tennis’ sportsmanship award.
‘Srdjan Djokovic spoke to Serb TV about the upcoming event, suggesting that unless vaccine restrictions change, he does not see his son playing.
“Under these blackmails and conditions, he probably won’t [play]. I wouldn’t do that. And he’s my son, so you decide for yourself,” Srdjan Djokovic said, according to BBC Sport. “… As far as vaccines and non-vaccines are concerned, it is the personal right of each of us whether we will be vaccinated or not … No-one has the right to enter into our intimacy.”
Srdjan Djokovic added that he is unaware whether Novak Djokovic is vaccinated and even if he did know, he would not share that info with the public.’
There are many reasons why Djokovic is the Worst Greatest Tennis Player. So far we have covered his seemingly reckless approach to COVID-19, members of his team suggesting that there is black mail involved to try and coerce him to get vaccinated, but an ultimate situation where he was granted a gold plated medical waiver while the nation suffers from a surge of covid and drought of testing supplies.
Lest this short piece be considered a hit piece, there may well and truly be valid medical issue at play. However, tennis is a game. Players are not asked to conduct brain survey on centre-court. They are asked to hit a yellow ball. Surely, it may be appropriate for Novak Djokovic, one-third of the greatest sporting threesome of all time, to ensure the public safety of all those involved and allow a vaccinated wild card to enter instead of him. I am certain that one of the all time greats of tennis will consider this option carefully.
In short, going into the 2022 Australian Open, these are the facts:
In a report by CBS, they noted that “Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said 85% of professional players are vaccinated and expects that number to rise to “between 90–95%” in the next two months. Fans and staff at the event are also required to be vaccinated.”
So to recap:
- Ball boys — vaccinated.
- Tennis fans — vaccinated.
- 95% of tennis players — vaccinated.
- Novak Djokovic — medical exemption.
Play.
Dr. Christopher L. Pepin-Neff is a tennis player, and author of two books on the policy process.
