Opinion: It’s Novak Djokovic’s own fault he won’t play the Australian Open, but getting deported makes nobody look good
In the final analysis from the most bizarre day in the modern history of tennis, there is one unassailable conclusion that must be recognized right at the outset: None of this happens if Novak Djokovic had simply gotten vaccinated.
It wasn’t a lot to ask, even for somebody like Djokovic with some fringe medical beliefs and who hails from a country, Serbia, where just 46 percent of citizens are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. When it’s your job to travel the globe playing tennis in the middle of a global pandemic, navigating different rules in different countries, there was one guaranteed way for him to avoid any issues as he chased a record 21st Grand Slam title at the tournament where he’s had more success than any other in his career.