Tag: Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic… love him or hate him, he’s an exceptionally weird, charismatic and interesting man. Djokovic is 37 years old and entering his 22nd year on the professional tennis tour. He will try to win his 25th Slam title this year, despite picking up a knee injury last year. Djokovic didn’t win a Slam or an ATP title in 2024, but he did something even bigger: he finally won an Olympic gold medal. He has now completed every achievement in tennis – won every major multiple times, won every “big tournament” on the ATP tour multiple times, won Davis Cup, won the tour finals multiple times, and now he has a gold medal. Some people think he should have retired after the Olympics, because what else is there to conquer? But I understand why he didn’t retire – last year was all about Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray’s retirements, and I feel like Novak didn’t want to step on their toes. Plus, he really does want that 25th Slam. He’s currently in Melbourne, preparing for the Australian Open, which starts on Monday. Andy Murray is his new coach, lmao. Novak covers the February issue of GQ, and he talks about all of this, his rivalries with Nadal and Roger Federer, how he was deported from Australia in 2022 and more. Some highlights:

Why is he still playing? “Tennis is still my biggest megaphone to the world…But… I am thinking about how I want to end it and when do I want to end it. No, I’m going to take that back. I do think about more how than when. When I’m not thinking about it as of yet so intensely. How—How I would like to end it? I feel if I start to lose more and feel like there is a bigger gap, that I start to have more challenges in overcoming those big obstacles in big Slams, then I’ll probably call it a day. But right now I’m still okay, keep continuing.”

Why he believes he was deported from Australia in 2022: “That’s the actual reason why I was deported from Australia…That’s what the three federal judges said in the end. Their sentence is that they are not in a position to question the discretionary right of the [immigration] minister. It was so political. It had nothing really to do with vaccine or COVID or anything else. It’s just political. The politicians could not stand me being there. For them, I think, it was less damage to deport me than to keep me there. With my situation in Australia, I was proclaimed to be a villain number one of the world.”

He’s thinks “my body, my choice” is about vaccines: “My stance is exactly the same today as it was a few years ago. I’m not pro-vaccine. I’m not anti-vax. I am pro-freedom to choose what is right for you and your body. So when somebody takes away my right to choose what I should be taking for my body, I don’t think that’s correct.”

He had health issues after his deportation: “I had some health issues. And I realized that in that hotel in Melbourne I was fed with some food that poisoned me… I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I was, I had a really high level of heavy metal. Heavy metal. I had the lead, very high level of lead and mercury.”

He never got Covid-vaccinated: “No, no. Because I don’t feel like I needed one. I just don’t feel like I needed one. I’m a healthy individual, I take care of my body, take care of my health needs, and I’m a professional athlete. And because I’m a professional athlete, I’m extremely mindful of what I consume, and I do regular tests, blood tests, any kind of tests. I know exactly what’s going on. So I didn’t feel a need to do that. Also, what is important to state is knowing that I’m not a threat to anybody. ’Cause I wasn’t. Because I had antibodies.”

The first words he thinks of to describe other tennis players: Roger Federer: “Elegance.” Rafael Nadal: “Tenacity.” Carlos Alcaraz: “Charisma.” Jannik Sinner: “Skiing.”

What he thinks of Alcaraz & Sinner: “It’s too early. But, you know, people say my records will never be broken. I doubt that. I mean, Carlos could be already the next guy. Even Jannik. If they take care of the body, if they do things in a proper way, focus on longevity, focus on the long-term, then they can do it. Carlos has done something no one has done in history for such a young age. So the odds are with him. He is going to complete his [career] Slam very soon. He’s even said himself, he wants to make history. He wants to be ‘the best in history.’ I respect that kind of mentality of ‘Hey, I think I got the goods.’ But maybe it’s a little bit early for him to think about history.”

His thoughts on Federer & Nadal, now that they’re both retired: “Well, I don’t see them. I don’t see them much. But the rivalry that we had between the three of us, the rivalries are eternal, I think. It’s just something that leaves an incredible mark and legacy on this sport. Something that will last forever. Something that I’m very proud of, very happy to be part of that group. They’ve been an integral part of my success and the history that I made of the sport. The rivalries with them have toughened me up like nothing has done throughout my career. So that’s on the tennis side. And privately it’s kind of going up and down, to be honest. I try to be always respectful and friendly to them off the court. But I didn’t have the acceptance early on, ’cause I did go out on the court saying and showing that I’m confident that I want to win. And I don’t think that both of them maybe liked that in the early days. Particularly because most of the players were going out to play them, not to win. And because of that confident stance, they probably were even more distanced from me. And that’s fine. I accepted it as it is. I understood the messaging that I got, which was we are rivals and nothing else. And to be quite frank, it’s very difficult to be a friend on the tour. If you are biggest rivals, and you’re constantly competing and you’re number one and two and three in the world, and for you to be close, go for dinners and family trips, it’s tough to expect that, to be honest.”

He wants to connect with Roger & Rafa in the years to come: “I think, with Roger, the last few times that I saw him, we talk about family, being on the road. And actually I do wish to connect with those guys more, on a deeper level. I really do. Whether that’s going to happen or not, I don’t know if they share the same desire or willingness. I do. I do want to…and let’s see, it depends how life is going to guide us or turn out for all of us. We live in different places and I think tennis is what brought so much to all of us. And tennis is probably still going to bring us together in some shape or form.”

[From GQ]

I think people will always attack Novak for not being more like Roger or Rafa, for beating them so often in the last half of their careers, and then saying that he would actually love to spend time with them now. I take it at face value – he knows he shared something special with those two, and he’s hopeful that when all is said and done, they can some day sit down together and reminisce. The way he wept at Roger’s retirement said a lot to me, as did the fact that Roger wanted him there. As for the younger guys, he’s so wary of Sinner and Alcaraz, but I have to say, there are so many younger guys who just worship him.

Cover & IG courtesy of GQ.

One month ago (almost exactly), Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia. He entered the country on a sketchy “medical exemption” because he has repeatedly refused to take the Covid vaccine. Australian authorities put him in a refugee hotel for days as there were court hearings about whether he could or should stay. Oz authorities could have – but did not – pick apart the medical exemption, which seemed to be built on lies, and instead argued that Novak needed to be deported simply because he is anti-vaccine, with a history of promoting an anti-vaxx ideology. That worked. Novak was deported, and Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open men’s trophy.

Novak promised to tell “his side” of this saga at some point, and here we are. He’s scheduled to play in Dubai next week, and he decided to give his first interview to Amol Rajan of the BBC. The interview is BAD. Novak’s arguments are terrible. Long story short, dude is still unvaccinated and he’s perfectly willing to toss away his career in the name of “bodily authority,” even as he claims he does not have an anti-vaccine ideology.

Novak Djokovic has said he would rather miss out on future tennis trophies than be forced to get a Covid vaccine. Speaking exclusively to the BBC, he said he should not be associated with the anti-vax movement, but supported an individual’s right to choose. Djokovic was asked if he would sacrifice taking part in competitions such as Wimbledon and the French Open over his stance on the vaccine.

“Yes, that is the price that I’m willing to pay,” he said.

“I was never against vaccination,” he told the BBC, confirming that he’d had vaccines as a child, “but I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.”

Djokovic said he hoped vaccination requirements in certain tournaments would change, adding that he was hoping that he “can play for many more years”. But he also confirmed he was willing to forego the chance to become statistically the greatest male tennis player of all time because he felt so strongly. Djokovic’s rival, Rafael Nadal, has won 21 Grand Slam singles titles – the most of any male competitor. Asked why, he replied: “Because the principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else. I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can.”

Djokovic said he had “always been a great student of wellness, wellbeing, health, nutrition,” and that his decision had been partly influenced by the positive impact that factors such as changing his diet and his sleeping patterns, had had on his abilities as an athlete.

He said he was “keeping [his] mind open” about the possibility of being vaccinated in the future, “because we are all trying to find collectively, a best possible solution to end Covid”.

“I was never against vaccination. I understand that globally, everyone is trying to put a big effort into handling this virus and seeing, hopefully, an end soon to this virus.”

[From BBC]

In many ways, what we’re seeing from Novak IS the typical anti-vaxxer ideology though. He, like so many anti-vaxxers, hopes that everyone else gets vaccinated and ends the pandemic so that he’ll be protected. He believes that once the pandemic is “over,” there will be no vaccine requirements at tournaments and he will be able to resume his career. Novak clearly believes that he only needs to wait this out for another year, if that. Which is such bullsh-t. He IS promoting a dangerous anti-vaxx ideology.

Novak Djokovic, who confirmed he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, said he’s ready to skip Wimbledon and the French Open, if vaccines are required.

He told @BBCNews: “The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title.” https://t.co/lcx9UysWKH pic.twitter.com/wg0fXwYUFZ

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) February 15, 2022

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

The Australian Open has started and Novak Djokovic is in Dubai. Novak got deported from Australia on Sunday, and he was replaced in the draw by a lucky loser (meaning, someone who lost in qualifying). What would have been his half of the draw has obviously opened up a lot, and there will be some very interesting quarterfinalists, probably. ESPN’s coverage has already been the absolute worst on Day 1 of AO – while exciting first-round matches were being played in real time, ESPN gave John McEnroe about 20 minutes to loudly pontificate about how the Djokovic situation was all political and how he (McEnroe) texted Djokovic to tell him that it was all “BS.”

Meanwhile, there’s already a focus on what kind of year Djokovic will have if he remains unvaccinated. He will likely be able to play some ATP-level events in Europe, although (as I said yesterday), I have serious doubts that he will be able to come into America unvaccinated. He’s an unvaccinated foreign national – America likely will not give him a visa to enter the country to play Indian Wells and Miami. The next Slam is Roland Garros, aka the French Open. During Djokovic’s Australian mess, the French sports minister made a point of coming out and saying that they will allow unvaccinated players to come to Paris for RG. Except that as soon as Djokovic was deported, suddenly French health officials were like “wait, that’s actually a terrible idea.”

Novak Djokovic was still on his way home from Australia when another obstacle was put in his path in the form of a tightening of regulations in France towards the unvaccinated.

He is unlikely to play the big ATP tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March unless he changes his stance because of the USA’s tight restrictions, and on Sunday French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu performed an about-turn by saying sportspeople will need to be vaccinated to compete in the country.

Maracineau last week defended the idea of bubbles for unvaccinated athletes but on Sunday reversed that position after the passing of stricter measures in the French parliament, putting Djokovic’s defence of his French Open title in danger.

There appears no prospect of the British government following suit but it is not inconceivable that Wimbledon could be the only grand slam tournament where Djokovic competes in 2022.

His deportation also carries an automatic three-year ban from Australia, although it can be waived if there are deemed to be compelling reasons.

Much can still change ahead of the summer, of course, and Gilles Moretton, the president of the French Tennis Federation, told l’Equipe: “Our teams are working in collaboration with the public authorities, who will specify in due course the rules relating to the reception of unvaccinated foreign athletes for our tournament.”

[From The Independent]

It’s not weird to me that the French health and sports ministries are talking about a strict vaccine mandate. What was strange was the sports minister talking about welcoming unvaccinated athletes into the country during the same newscycle as French President Emmanuel Macron talking about how he’s hellbent on pissing off unvaccinated people. Macron is taking a hardline on vaccinations (as he should!!) and I would imagine that would include stricter vaccine rules for foreign nationals entering the country to play at RG too. All that being said, RG is months away. A lot can change. And Novak should get vaccinated.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.