"He can win another 10 Slams, but his reputation is in shreds and will never recover" - Twitter reacts to Novak Djokovic court hearing drama
Novak Djokovic's court hearing against the Australian Department of Home Affairs has generated a furore on social media, with Twitter users largely criticizing the Serb over how he acted leading up to the entire fiasco.
Djokovic, a nine-time champion in Australia, had initially flown into Melbourne with a medical exemption granted by the Victorian government. The Australian Border Force then apprehended Djokovic before finding that the Serb didn't have "acceptable proof that he cannot be vaccinated." Djokovic's visa was subsequently revoked by the federal government, prompting the World No. 1's laywers to file for a court hearing against the decision, which came out in his favor earlier on Monday.
Social media users, however, were irked by things that came to light during Djokovic's virtual court case. Not only did Djokovic confirm that he is unvaccinated against COVID-19 in an interview with Australia's Department of Home Affairs, he also disclosed that he was COVID-19 positive between December 16-22.
While fans had strong opinions regarding Djokovic's revelation, they also put their heads together about several other topics concerning the Serb. We will be unpacking some of the most resourceful tweets that have emerged on the micro-blogging site below.
Ben Rothenberg, a journalist for the New York Times, kick-started the discourse surrounding Djokovic having been spotted attending several public events between December 16-22 - when he was COVID-19 positive.
Djokovic made sporadic public appearances from December 16-22, attending a ceremony organized by the Serbian Post, a panel discussion at his academy in Belgrade and an award ceremony to crown upcoming Serbian tennis players at his academy in Belgrade.
NEW:
Novak Djokovic’s positive PCR test which he submitted to Melbourne court states that sample was taken and positive result returned on December 16, 7 hours apart.
This means all those pictures of Djokovic maskless with kids on the 17th came AFTER his positive Covid result. https://t.co/FXLYnM0J4t
In response to his main tweet, a Twitter user named Jon Kennaugh took umbrage at the Serb for possibly having endangered kids with the virus. Kennaugh also compared Novak Djokovic to the notorious Margaret Court while asserting that even though he is arguably the GOAT of men's tennis, he is far from being one of the most respected athletes after the controversy.
"He can play as many Slams as he wants. He can win another 10. But after this, his reputation is in shreds and will never recover. The Margaret Court of men's tennis - a record-breaking pariah," the fan wrote in reply to Ben Rothenberg.
@BenRothenberg He can play as many Slams as he wants. He can win another 10. But after this his reputation is in shreds and will never recover. The Margaret Court of men's tennis - a record-breaking pariah.
"Reckless and irresponsible" - Novak Djokovic blasted on Twitter
A tennis fan named Vansh claimed that even though the Australian Border Force had wrongly detained Djokovic, the Serb was not a saint for attending public events despite possibly having COVID-19 back in December.
Yes, the border patrol messed up & the visa cancellation was technically unreasonable. But, Its now under oath that he tested positive for COVID on Dec 16th. A responsible person would isolate & not attend public events after that, which he did. He tested negative on Dec 22nd. https://t.co/k4fZSn22CF
Nikhila, another prominent journalist, also joined the wave of criticism as she claimed the Serb was "reckless" and "irresponsible."
So despite knowing that he had tested positive on 16th December, he continued to attend public events. Reckless and irresponsible. twitter.com/underarm_ace/s…
Another fan named Reva asserted that the fiasco would've been altogether avoided if Djokovic had not been against vaccinations.
@ozmo_sasa Lying about covid infection and attending public events and using it as a basis for entry into Australia, all of which could've been avoided if he took the damn vaccine.
I don't see any "fair" reason how he should be allowed to enter Aus or play AO this year.
A fan named Lavanya, however, believes that Djokovic might have lied under oath so that he could enter Melbourne, and the fact that he had COVID-19 between December 16-22 might not be true.
@BenRothenberg I don't think #Djokovic would knowingly put kids at risk if he'd infact tested +ve. I believe the test was falsified to gain entry into #AusOpen 2022 w/o getting vaccinated. But by lying on a Visa application, a greater (& punishable) offence has been committed. So bad PR>Crime twitter.com/benrothenberg/…
A Twitter user going by the name 'Reservoir Duck' insisted that Djokovic should leave Australia after there was violence in Melbourne following the Serb's court hearing.
Will turn ugly if they don't let him in, will turn ugly if they do let him in.
All because one dumb man thinks he knows better than the scientists.
If he has any sense left, he's packing today. twitter.com/ajhegarty9/sta…
Other Twitter users were a little less harsh on Djokovic after he won his court hearing. Tennis coach Mark Petchey asserted tongue-in-cheek that the Serb managing to reverse his visa cancelation was his best comeback yet, not his 2019 Wimbledon final triumph or his 2011 US Open semifinal victory.
Forget 2011 US Open semi final or 2019 Wimbledon Final - that was best comeback from match point down in @DjokerNole career. Not a FH winner to be seen either..
A journalist going by 'Full Dissident' didn't put the blame on Djokovic for the fiasco but proceeded to call out the farcical operations of Tennis Australia instead.
He’s the subject of this latest round, but this isn’t really on Djokovic. The cynical, leaderless response to a global pandemic by the multibillion-dollar sports industry will be a subject of study for decades.