20 January 2024 , 13:09
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Novak Djokovic may be allowed to play at the Australian Open once again, but the legacy of his Covid-19 stance continues to haunt him in Melbourne.
Djokovic is the undisputed king of the Australian Open and is gunning for a record-extending 11th trophy and 25th Grand Slam title at the moment. He is into the fourth round of the tournament after beating Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets.
But while Djokovic loves playing – and winning Down Under – the events of 2022 are still lingering. The 36-year-old was not allowed to play that year after he refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
He was deported from the country after a lengthy fiasco which clearly still resonates with the local tennis fans. Djokovic has made it clear he is not, as his detractors have branded him, anti-vax, but is instead pro-choice.
Yet that nuance was not appreciated as he served for the match against Etcheverry. A spectator was heard crying out “get vaccinated mate!” as he loaded up his serve. Djokovic simply took some time to compose himself before firing down an ace to wrap up the 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 victory.
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It wasn’t the first time this tournament that Djokovic has had to deal with mouthy spectators, with another incident coming in his second-round match against Alexei Popyrin. The Serbian had been riled by a comment from a fan, responding by telling the fan in question to come down and to say what he wanted to say to his face.
“I mean, you don’t want to know,” Djokovic said later when asked what the heckler said to him. “There was a lot of things that were being told to me on the court, particularly from that corner and the same side the other corner.
Novak Djokovic does have plenty of fans in Australia (LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images)“I was tolerating it for most of the match. At one point I had enough, and I asked him whether he wants to come down and tell it to my face. When you confront somebody, unfortunately for him, he didn’t have the courage to come down… if you’re such a tough man, tough guy, come down and tell it to my face, and let’s have a discussion about it. He was apologising from far away. That’s all it is.”
Djokovic was also prevented from playing at the US Open in 2022 due to his opinion on vaccines. But speaking after he won the US Open title last year, he explained his stance on the subject more clearly.
“I was never anti-vax,” Djokovic said. “'I was always pro-freedom-to-choose. And that's something that we took really for granted. I didn't feel like a lot of people had a choice, really.” He will play Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round in Melbourne and appears to be hitting his stride at his favourite tournament.