Novak Djokovic Must Not Compete In The Australian Open

Lexie Boardman

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The world’s best male tennis player, Novak Djokovic, travelled to Australia at the start of the month ahead of the Australian Open – arguably the country’s biggest international sporting event. The ‘anti-vax’ Serbian has come under scrutiny for this. At present, he is still awaiting a decision on whether he can remain in Australia and compete in the Open. But does Djokovic deserve to do so?

Tough restrictions

Djokovic may feel that he is the victim of harsh travel restrictions.

Since the first hearing of Covid-19, Australia has been a country with some of the strictest restrictions in the world – something which has helped the country to spend the majority of the last 20 months with only fairly low cases of the virus in general circulation.

Since early 2020, Australians have found themselves stranded worldwide due to the stricter rules. Athletes may have experienced adjustments to global pandemic rules to allow sports to continue throughout, but this should not mean they are above the rules entirely, especially in what feels entirely like an act of self-martyrdom.

Going against the grain

Other athletes have been travelling the world to compete. The Australian F1 star Daniel Ricciardo is fully vaccinated, and isolated in a hotel room for two weeks after entering the country. He sacrificed the chance to spend Christmas with his family – all in the name of following the rules.

So, what made Djokovic believe he was entitled to gracefully walk into the country for work purposes, whilst explicitly being against the vaccine and sceptical about the virus itself?

The scandal

The tennis star’s exemption lies with a controversial positive PCR test which he was allegedly notified of on the 17th of December 2021. He seemingly did not take this result seriously, given his participation in an event with a number of children on the very same day, and then completing a photoshoot on the day after – all of which were without masks and social distancing. This is evidently a careless act that has unveiled his obvious privilege as an ‘untouchable athlete’ left him free of sanctions for such behaviour.

But regardless of the Serb’s nonchalant attitude towards the virus, the Australian rules for medical exemption from vaccination do not include having a recent infection. So why was he led to believe that this would grant him access to the country?

“It is not fair for Djokovic to laugh in the faces of those citizens who have suffered immense hardships that have been brought upon them by the tougher restrictions, and get away with it.”

Tennis Australia reportedly informed him that this would be a valid ground for medical exemption at the time. But if Tennis Australia knew, were they just making a desperate attempt to bend the rules so that the best tennis player in the world could participate in their competition?

Given that with a previous Covid-19 infection that Djokovic continued with his daily activities, is it worth the risk of him doing the same for this competition? Should infection spread to other participants, he’d have the capacity to shut the entire competition down.

A moral obligation

Though some may argue that the Australian authorities are being too harsh, when Djokovic is so openly anti-rules, anti-Covid and anti-vaccine, it is refreshing that the government is putting its foot down. After all, the government has a duty to the people of Australia. It is not fair for Djokovic to laugh in the faces of those citizens who have suffered immense hardships that have been brought upon them by the tougher restrictions, and get away with it.

It is a requirement of the job to be vaccinated. Djokovic will receive a large sum of money for competing in the Australian open, so it is frustrating to see how ignorant he is towards basic travel instructions. Medical exemptions should be reserved for those who really are exempt, not people who are so privileged that they see themselves as above the law.

“Djokovic, and his behaviour as late, lacks the class his tennis possesses.”

Djokovic, should he compete in the Australian Open, could secure his ‘GOAT’ status above the well-loved Federer and Nadal. Given his behaviour over this situation, the Serbian perhaps doesn’t deserve the praise for his performances.

All he had to do to avoid this uproar was to get vaccinated, as 95% of other elite tennis players have done already. Djokovic is not being persecuted, but he believes that he is above the rest – and wants to be treated as such.

Where does this leave Djokovic?

His tennis is thrilling, addictive and proves itself as the best in the world. But Djokovic, and his behaviour as late, lacks the class his tennis possesses. He should not be allowed to compete, because this creates a culture for rule breaking and bending for the privileged.

Australians have put a lot of hard work into fighting the pandemic, with over 90% of Australian adults being double jabbed. So No‘vax’ Djokovic needs to do his part and be grateful to have the opportunity to compete in this competition, or he must go home.

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Featured image courtesy of Hermes Rivera via Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes have been made to this image.