"Now there's a good chance all 3 will end at 20 Slams" - Mats Wilander on the possible impact of Novak Djokovic's Australian Open exit
Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander recently gave his thoughts on the court verdict confirming Novak Djokovic's deportation on Sunday. The Serb won't defend his Australian Open title in Melbourne this year, and it remains to be seen whether he can play the other Slams given that he is not vaccinated.
In that context, Wilander claimed that the decision to prevent Djokovic from playing the Australian Open could have a big impact on the history of men's tennis.
Novak Djokovic is the three-time defending champion in Melbourne, and was widely considered the heavy favorite to lift the trophy this year too. The 34-year-old is currently tied with long-time rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at 20 Majors, which is the all-time record in men's tennis.
But Wilander believes it is now a possibiity that the 'Big 3' will all end their careers at 20 Slams each.
"The judge has to realise that maybe he is changing the history of our sport – but what can you do?" Wilander told Eurosport. "I cannot imagine the state of mind Novak must be in right now plus it’s by far his most favorite tournament – one he has won nine times – he’s chasing 21 Grand Slams and this was his big chance to go ahead of Roger and Rafa."
"To me, now there is a good chance all three will end up on 20 Grand Slams, which will be amazing," he added.
Novak Djokovic arrived in Melbourne last week despite being unvaccinated, as he had been granted a medical exemption. But the Serb was detained by the authorities at the airport, and his visa was cancelled for failing to sufficiently prove why he got the exemption.
Djokovic promptly lodged an appeal and a federal circuit court ruled in his favor last Monday, reinstating his visa. But the World No. 1's visa was cancelled for a second time by the country's Immigration Minister Alex Hawke, on the grounds that his presence could fuel anti-vaxxer sentiment in Australia.
Hawke's decision was later upheld by a Federal Court, but Wilander stated in his interview that he was "shocked" by the final verdict. The Swede also claimed he was exhausted by the whole saga, before expressing sympathy for the rest of the players in the field.
"I'm surprised and I’m shocked," Wilander said. "I'm a little bit exhausted as well because we have been hearing about this for a week. I give Novak a lot of credit for trying but at the same time he knew there might be the possibility that with the rules you have to be vaccinated. But you also have to think about the other players – they have been asked about this for the whole time they have been in Australia."
"But the big thing for me, the best tennis players in the world, they are globally famous people and this has really been one of the biggest stories this year," Wilander added.
Novak Djokovic leaves the Marhaba lounge at Melbourne Airport for flight back to Europe. https://t.co/Rg2D1XTTwW
Novak Djokovic's "career is on the line" as long as he is unvaccinated: Mats Wilander
Novak Djokovic will now be dropping 2,000 ranking points after the Australian Open, putting his position as the men's World No. 1 in danger. If either Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev win in Melbourne, they will usurp the top spot from the Serb.
Mats Wilander believes that a new World No. 1 is a possibility since Novak Djokovic may not be allowed to play too many events being unvaccinated.
"Could we have a new No. 1? Well, it’s possible," the Swede said. "I think so much depends on how much Novak is allowed to travel, how many tournaments he is allowed to play, and in the end, is he going to have to get vaccinated?"
Wilander also believes Djokovic's "career is on the line" given his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine.
"His career is on the line and he might have to do something that he doesn't really want to do," Wilander said.
Novak Djokovic’s last seven grand slam results:
Disqualified
🥈
🏆
🏆
🏆
🥈
Deported
Easily the wildest timeline in tennis history.
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