"Did Novak Djokovic say a damn thing about maternal issues Black women like Serena Williams face?" - Journalist hits back at art expert
Even a week after Novak Djokovic officially withdrew from the 2022 US Open due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19, the support for him hasn't died down completely.
On Thursday, contemporary art expert Eli Klein took to social media to drag Serena Williams into the controversy. He expressed his disappointment at the 23-time Grand Slam champion, saying that she should have used her spotlight to address the discrimination that Djokovic recently faced.
In response, American journalist Roland Martin asked Klein if he was ever disappointed with the Serb for not speaking up on the issues that the American legend faced.
"It’s disappointing that Serena Williams isn’t using her spotlight to call attention to the discrimination that prevented Novak Djokovic from playing in the US Open," Klein tweeted.
"Hey @TheEliKlein, did he say a damn thing about police brutality, racial/economic inequality, or even the maternal issues Black women face, which @serenawilliams experienced. Did YOU call it disappointing when @DjokerNole did not?" Martin replied.
Hey @TheEliKlein, did he say a damn thing about police brutality, racial/economic inequality, or even the maternal issues Black women face, which @serenawilliams experienced. Did YOU call it disappointing when @DjokerNole did not?! twitter.com/theeliklein/st…
Djokovic waited till the end to withdraw from the event, just in case there was a change in the COVID-19 rules in the US. However, the latest developments in the guidelines reinstated the rule for compulsory vaccination for foreign travelers, killing the Serb's last hope of participating in the last Major of the year.
After the Australian Open in January, this is now the second Grand Slam event that Djokovic has missed due to his unvaccinated status.
Meanwhile, Williams, who is likely to call it a day after the 2022 US Open, has reached the third round, where she is set to take on World No. 46 Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday night. In her first two matches, the 40-year-old defeated Danka Kovinic and Anett Kontaveit.
She also entered the doubles category alongside her sister Venus Williams, but the pair lost to Czech Republic's Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka in straight sets in the first round on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic's September assignments
It's time for Novak Djokovic to move forward and get ready for his September schedule. The 21-time Grand Slam champion's first assignment will be the group stage matches of the Davis Cup, which will take place from September 13-18 in Glasgow, Bologna, Hamburg, and Valencia.
Djokovic will then join Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in Team Europe for the fifth edition of the Laver Cup. The event is scheduled to take place in London from September 23-25. The other three members of the Bjorn Borg-coached team are Andy Murray, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud.
The complete set: Team Europe London 2022
#LaverCup https://t.co/MLERcpZ1PF
The 35-year-old will lastly head to Israel for the Tel Aviv Watergen Open, an ATP 250 tournament. It will be held from September 26 to October 2.