The Open is CLOSED to Novak.

We Aussies love our sport like nobody else does, and this week one sport-related story has truly hogged the headlines: Novak Djokovic being barred from playing in the Australian Open. This was because of his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, I don't follow tennis much at the best of times (although I stayed up to the small hours last year to watch Ash Barty win Wimbledon) but I'm a well-known news junkie and I'm very much pro-vaccination so hence my interest in this saga. Djokovic basically arrived in Melbourne for the tournament, then was denied a visa because he was unvaccinated, took this matter to a court where it was decided he deserved a visa, but then that ruling was overturned and he was deported home to Serbia.

Dude, have the shots (no pun intended). That's all you needed to do in order to be able to play and besides, I somehow doubt Australia is the only country denying visas to unvaccinated people during this pandemic, meaning other ones with professional tennis tournaments will likely be among them. Plus, because of how famous both he and the Australian Open are internationally, this has now become a global news story. I think Djokovic has to ask himself: does he want to be remembered as the winner of twenty-plus tennis Grand Slams, or as the guy who was barred from playing in the 2022 Australian Open and then deported from the country for refusing to get vaccinated during a worldwide pandemic. I certainly know which of those I'd rather go down as. 

I also think responsibility here extends past him. Where have his medical and legal teams, coaches and sponsors been throughout this and why haven't any of them forced him to have the vaccinations, even if only so he can play? Why have none of them, at least that we know of, said, "Novak, shut the fuck up and have the jabs. They'll save your life and ensure you a visa so you can play"? I suspect directives like that are part of their job descriptions. Finally, this saga with him threatens to overshadow the tournament itself and accomplishments of the permitted players - all of whom, of course, evidently have been vaccinated. They deserve that (literal and figurative) moment in the sun. He mightn't have made many on-court, but this week he's made a big double fault off it and the media got real mileage out of it.