You could forgive sports fans for being a little bit fed up with the whole Novak Djokovic saga at the Australian Open. Finally, the speculation is over, with the confirmation that the Serbian tennis star will not participate in Melbourne and will instead be deported from Australia.
The decision comes at the end of a nightmarish back-and-forth between Djokovic’s lawyers and the Australian government, but with the 20-time Grand Slam champion forced to pack his bags and head home, it looks as though Djokovic could pay a heavy price for his stance on vaccinations surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
Without all this controversy, Djokovic would have been the firm favourite in the Australian Open 2022 odds to win the Melbourne Park-based tournament, but now he’ll have to watch from afar as another player steals the limelight in a competition that Djokovic has won on nine occasions in total.
While missing the Australian Open comes as a massive blow for Djokovic and his team, there is the prospect of more pain on the way for the Serb, as there are doubts over whether he will be able to compete at either the French Open or Wimbledon if he refuses to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
With France having recently introduced legislation regarding unvaccinated arrivals into the country, and authorities for Wimbledon also refusing to rule out restrictions for those who haven’t been jabbed, there could yet be more pain for Djokovic in the coming months.
If he were to miss out on any more of the Grand Slam events this year, it could have a hugely negative effect on his legacy in the sport. Firstly, in terms of his achievements on the court, there is a risk that he could be overtaken by Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer when he returns, in overall Grand Slam victories.
Nadal will already be licking his lips ahead of Melbourne — with Djokovic out of the picture the Spaniard is a favourite in the Australian Open tips — and the Serbian could find himself lagging behind his two great rivals once again, having only just levelled them on 20 Grand Slam titles each.
Then, of course, there is the damage all this will have on Djokovic’s image and perception within tennis and the wider sporting world. He has not come out of this sage with a whole lot of good grace, and he’s likely to face hostility in every tournament he plays as a result. Even his most diehard fans may have had to take a step back over the last few weeks and ponder whether their hero’s reputation has been tarnished irrevocably.
The situation in Australia has not reflected well on any of the parties involved, and in truth it has been a bit of an embarrassment for the sport. It remains to be seen whether Djokovic can recover from this setback, find a solution that allows him to play in the year’s remaining Grand Slams, and put all this controversy behind him to kick on once more with the emphasis on tennis.
Right now, Djokovic is treading a very fine line and could soon find himself as an exile from the sport that made him a global star.
