The last two years of the pandemic have caused unimaginable amounts of death and disruption.
The sports world has been hit just like every other part of society.
And one tennis legend who suffered from Joe Biden’s mandate got some huge news.
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic will finally be allowed to compete in the Australian Open.
Djokovic famously refused to take the COVID vaccine, which barred him from remaining in Australia for last year’s tournament due to the country’s draconian pandemic policies.
Djokovic, who has won the Australian Open nine times, was denied the opportunity to win his tenth title and his fourth in a row.
From Fox News:
“Upon landing in Melbourne early last year, Djokovic’s visa was canceled by border officials who said he did not qualify for a medical exemption from Australia’s rules for unvaccinated visitors. He was previously exempted from the tournament’s vaccine rules because he had COVID within the previous six months. He later won an appeal to stay for the tournament, but Australia’s immigration minister then revoked his visa. Three federal court judges ruled in favor of the immigration minister’s right to cancel Djokovic’s visa, and he was deported…The Serbian tennis pro was not able to travel to the U.S. to compete at the U.S. Open because of travel restrictions, not because of tournament rules.”
Djokovic trails only Spain’s Rafael Nadal in major titles, 21 to Nadal’s 22.
Nadal won his second Australian Open last year, a victory that had eluded him for years.
Nadal had lost the Australian Open final four times, twice to Djokovic.
With Djokovic and Nadal both nearing the twilight of their careers, every major title opportunity is precious.
Djokovic was denied two because of nonsensical COVID policies.
Djokovic already had natural immunity to the virus, and he’s an elite athlete in prime condition playing outdoors.
His risk of serious illness from COVID was minuscule, and both the vaccinated and unvaccinated can spread the virus.
Tournament director Craig Tiley said, “Novak is welcome in Australia…I think as we speak he has landed in Adelaide, and he’s going to be the player to beat (at the Australian Open) again.”
Australia has loosened its vaccine regimen in general due to more data showing a greater risk of myocarditis in young adult males.
When Djokovic was barred from entering the United States and playing in the U.S. Open, tennis great John McEnroe said, “I think it’s b.s…I think he should be allowed to play. My personal opinion, as I’ve been vaccinated—I had a booster shot—that’s up to the individual…[H]e’s perfectly entitled to make the decision. The guy’s one of the great athletes, you know, in any sport…He’s very careful about anything he puts in his body, so it’s frustrating to see at this point…It’s really unfortunate, but that’s the rules that we have right now with the government.”
It’s a shame that politics and bad science got in the way of Djokovic’s career goals.
