"If Naomi Osaka or Serena Williams acted the way Novak Djokovic has, the tennis association would be sharpening their knives" - Francis Maxwell
Filmmaker Francis Maxwell recently gave his take on the Novak Djokovic scandal, claiming that the tennis world would have been a lot more critical if the person involved had been Serena Williams or Naomi Osaka.
Maxwell took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the matter after Djokovic won his court case against Australia's Minister for Home Affairs. Judge Anthony Kelly quashed the Australian government's order to deport the Serb, citing a lack of procedural fairness on the authorities' part as the reason.
However, Djokovic is still at risk of being asked to leave the country. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has the discretion to use his personal powers and deport the World No. 1; the decision on that is currently pending.
Amid this long-drawn-out controversy, several influential personalities from the tennis community have voiced their support for Novak Djokovic, while very few have criticized him. Francis Maxwell, however, believes this is a case of double standards.
The Scot asserted in his tweet that tennis organizations around the world would be "sharpening their knives" if it was Naomi Osaka or Serena Williams in a similar situation.
"Let me say this, if Naomi Osaka, or Serena Williams acted in the way Novak Djokovic has acted in the past couple weeks- the tennis association would be sharpening their knives," Maxwell tweeted.
Let me say this, if Naomi Osaka, or Serena Williams acted in the way Novak Djokovic has acted in the past couple weeks- the tennis association would be sharpening their knives. They hung Osaka out to dry because she missed a couple pressers, meanwhile on Djokovic...(crickets).
Francis Maxwell also cited Naomi Osaka's Roland Garros press conference controversy to reinforce his point.
At last year's French Open, Osaka announced that she wouldn't be attending any press conferences at the tournament because of the mental stress they caused her. In response, the tournament organizers handed the Japanese a $15,000 fine and also threatened to default her.
Osaka withdrew from the event following the statement from the organizers, saying that she wanted to prioritize her mental health.
Maxwell contrasted that with the response Djokovic has got the last few weeks in Australia, suggesting that there has been utter silence in the current case.
"They hung Osaka out to dry because she missed a couple pressers, meanwhile on Djokovic...(crickets)," Maxwell wrote.
Before the Naomi Osaka incident, Serena Williams was caught in an outfit controversy at Roland Garros
Like Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams has also received harsh treatment from authorities over seemingly trivial matters. The 'catsuit' outfit she donned at the 2018 French Open was the subject of one such controversy.
The outfit came with a set of pants instead of a skirt that women's players typically wear, but that was a functional addition. Following her pregnancy in 2017, Williams developed a few blood clots in her body, and the pants helped improve her blood circulation.
But the President of the French Tennis Federation, Bernard Guidicelli, considered the outfit disrespectful to the game. He even threatened that Roland Garros would enforce a strict dress-code to prevent such incidents in the future.
However, Guidicelli's comments received widespread backlash from the public, and an official dress-code was never announced by the organizers.
2018: French Open bans Serena Williams' catsuit ("you have to respect the game")
2021: Naomi Osaka fined, threatened with expulsion from French Open for skipping post-match press conferences.
No-Rules for No-Vax, however! twitter.com/BleacherReport…
Also check out: Complete 2022 Australian Open Schedule of Play