Ranked No. 06 in the world, renowned tennis player and three time championship holder Novak Djokovic will not participate in the US Open Championship set to begin today – 29th August 2022. This is because he remains unvaccinated and as per the law, if you are not vaccinated and are not a citizen of the United States you are denied entry into the country.
Chris Almeida in examination of this incident says, “Novak Djokovic, who has won the tournament three times, who famously was the runner-up last year, has withdrawn from the tournament. We sort of knew this was coming.”
This is because Djokovic hasn’t played in any of the lead up events in the States. This however remains a shocker as it has the weight of deterring Djokovic’s charmed career. A few months ago, questions about him risking his career due to his suspicions associated with the COVID-19 vaccines were the talk of the town. No one believed he would actually potentially jarr his long-standing success, but now it’s clear he will.
Jon Wertheim comments, “This, to me, feels a lot like Serena’s retirement announcement two weeks ago. You knew it was going to happen. It being made official seems jarring, but utterly unsurprising. And I think you just stand back and … I think we’re past the point of sort of litigating vaccines now. Right? It’s more about the idea that a guy who is 35 years old, and is on the cusp of history, and has spoken openly and, I think, admirably about how retiring with the most majors is the overarching goal.”
Many fans support this idea of clean retirement. There is significant outrage claiming that millions around the world took the vaccine without facing any harmful side-effects and as such there is nothing to shy away from, but merely a mental belief of doubling down rather than conceding defeat.
