Novak Djokovic: Why all sides can only lose in the dispute

It was January 4th when Novak Djokovic hit the headlines for the first time this year. The tennis star announced that he wanted to participate in the Australian Open unvaccinated and with a special permit. Just a few hours later, the 34-year-old was standing in front of Australian border officials who did not allow him to enter. The beginning of a farce that will only have losers on all sides.

Novak Djokovic

It is common knowledge that Novak Djokovic is not necessarily considered to be tame. The Serb repeatedly causes scandals with (thoughtless) actions and statements, but since the corona pandemic, the world star has been isolating itself more and more from the rest of the top tennis players. At the beginning of the pandemic, the 34-year-old declared that he did not want to have a vaccination. Instead, he posted a live stream with a self-proclaimed alchemist, stating that self-love boosts the immune system better than vaccination. Djokovic also claimed that “the power of prayer and the power of gratitude can transform the most polluted water into the most healing water”. ().

While the world was recovering from the first wave in summer 2020, Djokovic organized the Adriatic Tour with many stars of the tennis scene. There was excessive celebration off the field. The result: Numerous corona cases, Djokovic also fell ill for the first time. Party videos on Youtube prove the lack of security measures.

Djokovic could win the 21st Grand Slam title

In contrast to many other top athletes, there has long been a lack of clarity about the vaccination status of the world’s number one who cited a private matter. Without a doubt, it was until January 5, 2022. Because Djokovic will emerge as a loser from the debate about the Australian Open, regardless of whether he is allowed to participate or not. It is understandable that Djokovic wants to take part in the tournament: he has already won nine times in Melbourne, with another triumph he would already have 21 Grand Slam titles in his pocket, more than any other male tennis professional in history. A glamorous goal for an ambitious and ambitious professional like the Serbs.

But: with participation, Djokovic will completely mess up with the Australian audience. The suffering in the pandemic was too great: tens of thousands of citizens cannot smell the smell of traveling to their homeland for almost two years, and thousands are still waiting to return to Down Under. The entry rules are strict, the popular holiday destination is still taboo for tourists. It is therefore a slap in the face of all Australians when suddenly unvaccinated athletes are allowed to enter and the regulations are reduced to absurdity. The Australian spirit is best summed up in the Brisbane newspaper “The Courier Mail”. “You must be djoking” was the headline of the newspaper in a play on words based on the English word “joking”.

If Djokovic is expelled on Monday, he will be a big loser anyway. The expulsion would be a loss of face for the tennis star, who then has to worry about future participation in tournaments. Because the requirements that only vaccinated professionals are allowed to participate in tournaments are likely to increase. Djokovic then has to ask himself whether self-love will save his career or a vaccination. The decision is entirely up to the Serbs, as Rafael Nadal emphasized at a press conference on Thursday. The world star showed little sympathy there when he said: “I had Covid, I have been vaccinated twice. If you do that, you have no problem playing here and anywhere in the world. That is the only thing that is clear.”

The Australian Tennis Association

As big as the criticism of Djokovic is, the whole farce about the entry would not have arisen if the Australian tennis association Tennis Australia had acted more consistently. Because the association misled the players with a message published in the Australian media: There it was said that a corona infection could make a full vaccination superfluous. In November, however, the Australian government had advised the association that this would not be the case. This rule applies only to Australian citizens.

The question of guilt does not appear to arise at Tennis Australia. In an internal video published by the Australian newspaper “Sunday Herald Sun” on Saturday, association chief Craig Tiley said that “his team has done an incredible job”. His team did everything according to the instructions it received. It sounds a bit like teasing from Tiley, who also misjudges the problems. Because not only Djokovic was granted an exemption, but also other athletes and officials who might not have been allowed to receive them. Although the situation is still unclear, the association must be accused of sloppiness in handling the approvals.

Association has to be accused of sloppiness

Thus, Tennis Australia can only leave the Djokovic debacle behind as a loser. The Australian Open is one of the most important tournaments in the tennis business, but in your own country the anger about Djokovic’s participation is likely to be greater than the joy of the event. Ironically, at the start of the new tennis season, dark clouds are hanging over the event. If Djokovic is not allowed to participate, Tennis Australia must be accused of the sloppiness mentioned, of having given players and officials hopes where there is no hope. Without question, Djokovic would be missing the world’s best tennis player, but the association could have avoided all the trouble with clear statements in advance. Either way, the Australian government will now monitor the work of the association more closely.

The Australian Government

The Djokovic case could also end in a fiasco for the Australian government. How can you explain to the citizens who have been waiting for months to enter the country that they will have to continue to wait when at the same time unvaccinated athletes are allowed to pursue their profession Down Under? Of course, this stay is only temporary for the duration and preparation for the tournament, but it is hardly possible to convey to the citizens why special rules apply to professional athletes. In this respect, the government’s efforts to clarify the matter and prevent Djokovic from entering the country is understandable. The government’s decision to prevent Australians from entering their own country for almost two years had been heavily criticized. In addition, elections are being held in the state of South Australia this year. A defeat in court is likely to cause considerable damage to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s party.

But even so, the damage is immense, because how did it get to the point where Djokovic set out on the journey? The exemption came from Tennis Australia, but the visa must have been applied for from an official body. And currently only those who are actually vaccinated receive that. Djokovic’s lawyers claim that a visa was granted in mid-November, giving him “permission to enter and stay in Australia”. This visa was then revoked by the border guards upon entry. According to Djokovic’s lawyers, the officials relied on a section in the Migration Act that says a visa can be canceled if a person could pose a risk to the health or safety of the Australian population. The question of why Djokovic was not allowed to enter, but other players and officials with special permits, must be clarified urgently. The motto “all or not at all” has to apply, otherwise it looks like a campaign against the world number one.

Either way, the report about Djokovic’s renewed corona illness in mid-December generated many more questions than answers: The tennis star himself had made his first illness in 2020 public – as did Rafael Nadal, for example. Djokovic was silent on the second, for whatever reason. In addition, photos of Djokovic cause discussions during a public appearance, where he apparently also appeared on December 16 at an event organized by the Serbian Post. During the performance, he proudly holds a stamp with his likeness in the cameras. In addition, photos are circulating on social media that show him without a mask with young fans that day. However, it is unclear whether Djokovic already knew about his positive corona test at the time of the event.

Sources:, dpa,,,