"Is this a real, international magazine?! Wow" - Novak Djokovic's wife Jelena calls out US-based tennis magazine for attacking the Serb over Canadian Open withdrawal
Novak Djokovic officially withdrew from the 2022 Canadian Open yesterday, one day before the draw for the tournament was set to be made. The Serb would have been unable to enter Canada due to the existing vaccine mandates in the country denying entry to unvaccinated travelers, meaning that his withdrawal was only a matter of time.
A similar situation prevailed earlier this year as well, at the Indian Wells Masters, where the 21-time Grand Slam champion announced his withdrawal only after the draw was made, inviting widespread criticism from tennis fans and pundits. Thankfully, his announcement this time around will lead to no such complications, a fact for which most fans were grateful.
Unfortunately, not everyone concurred. One of the 35-year-old's detractors turned out to be Racquet's official Twitter handle. Racquet, a new quarterly magazine based out of the United States that "celebrates the art and culture that surround tennis," had some strong words to say against the former World No. 1, remarking that it was irresponsible of him to enter tournaments hoping entry protocols would change eventually.
"Dunno why this guy keeps entering tournaments hoping they’ll change their rules for him," Racquet's Twitter account wrote.
Dunno why this guy keeps entering tournaments hoping they’ll change their rules for him. twitter.com/tennisnewstpn/…
What Racquet magazine did not seem to know, however, is the fact that Djokovic was at no fault here. Entry into ATP1000 events is automatic for top-ranked players, meaning that they then have to officially confirm their withdrawal to the concerned authorities to get their names taken off the entry list.
The World No. 6, therefore, had every right to wait and see if any changes were made to Canada's COVID protocols before the tournament. Even if the draw had been made, the Serb could have waited until his opener to announce that he would not be playing, after which a lucky loser would have taken up his spot.
While the move would have left fans fuming, it is still an entirely "legal" course of action the 21-time Grand Slam champion is allowed within the existing ATP rules. The 35-year-old's wife Jelena, meanwhile, saw Racquet's tweet and decided to call out the magazine, wondering how such a reputed international publication could be unaware of such a basic understanding of the game's inner workings.
"Is this a real, international tennis magazine?! Wow," Jelena Djokovic tweeted, tagging the ATP's official handle and Nicola Arzani, vice president of the ATP's PR department, for good measure.
🫢🫣 twitter.com/racquetmagazin…Is this a real, international tennis magazine?! @atptour @Nicarzani
Wow. 🤯😳🫢🫣 twitter.com/racquetmagazin…
Fate similar to Canadian Open awaits Novak Djokovic at Cincinnati Open and US Open
Following his exit from the Canadian Open, Novak Djokovic is all but guaranteed to experience a similar fate at the upcoming Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati as well as the US Open.
Like Canada, the United States also does not allow unvaccinated travelers into the country.
Today, I’m urging the Biden administration to issue a National Interest Exemption so that world renowned tennis star Novak Djokovic and any other international athlete can compete in the US Open. Biden should then DROP the ridiculous mandate altogether! (1/2) https://t.co/YGpUHutXoO
However, politicians across the country have taken it upon themselves to get the World No. 6 a special exemption, requesting President Joe Biden to look into the matter post haste.
While it is unlikely, the 21-time Grand Slam champion has declared that he will be waiting to see how the situation unfolds with his fingers crossed, simultaneously practicing as if he might be allowed to compete at Flushing Meadows.