The pandemic touched every area of life, both in America and beyond. Small businesses closed, kids lost valuable instruction time, suicide rates spiraled, and lines were drawn between people who bought into what the government was selling in terms of vaccines and those who chose to do their own research and make their own medical choices. Unfortunately, folks who chose to think for themselves paid the highest cost, even in sports.
The number one tennis player in the world and likely the greatest to ever hold a racquet faced countless obstacles in his quest to continue his career and set the all-time Grand Slam record. Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis legend, chose not to get any COVID-19 vaccines, and because of the restrictions worldwide that many governments put on unvaccinated people, he was unable to continue competing in certain tournaments.
For a 36-year-old tennis player chasing history, time is of the essence. Tennis at the highest level is a young person’s game, so competing at the highest level in your late 30s is rare, and not being able to chase the record was difficult for Djokovic. Perhaps even more difficult was how the tennis legend was portrayed for his decision not to get the vax. Djokovic was cast as a villain for his refusal to bend a knee and subsequently missed valuable tournament time as a result.
In September, Djokovic talked to tennis legend John McEnroe about his personal beliefs, clarifying that he was never “anti-vax,” but instead “pro-freedom to choose” and preferring his own bodily autonomy as opposed to a government mandate. Sunday night on the long-running news program “60 Minutes,” the all-time great was on hand to even further elaborate on his stance regarding the vaccine.
During the interview, the tennis star said: “People tried to declare me as an anti-vax [person]. I’m not anti-vax, nor am I pro-vax. I’m pro-freedom to choose.” Unfortunately for Djokovic, personal freedoms were largely ignored in favor of mandates and lockdowns. Djokovic continued: “I was basically declared as a villain of the world. I had, basically, most of the world against me. I had that kind of experience on the tennis court with crowds that were maybe not cheering me on. But I never had this particular experience before in my life.”
Always a well-liked player, Djokovic wasn’t prepared for the vitriol that came with free thought. He received a medical exemption in 2022 to enter Australia and defend his Australian Open title, only to have Immigration Minister Alex Hawke revoke his visa. Djokovic fought the ruling, eventually losing and skipping the first of the Grand Slam tournaments. He told McEnroe in September that he was willing to forgo winning more Grand Slam titles if the vax restrictions remained.
As restrictions began to lift and sanity crept back into sports and the public consciousness, Djokovic once again was allowed to compete in Grand Slam tournaments and continue his historic run. He set the record at the U.S. Open in August, winning his 24th Grand Slam. Joker isn’t done playing and setting records, and as long as the world maintains some semblance of sanity, he will still be competing at the highest level, vax-free. Watch him here:
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Featured image screen grab from embedded video