"At Roland Garros there is no one like Rafael Nadal; on the other hand, I think Novak Djokovic has made a fatal mistake with the issue of the vaccine" - Ion Tiriac
Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has come under scrutiny for his vaccination stance from business tycoon and former World No. 19 Ion Tiriac. Djokovic has not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and has had to miss several tournaments this year because of that.
In a recent interview, Ion Tiriac, a businessman and former coach of Boris Becker, claimed that Novak Djokovic has made a big mistake by not getting vaccinated. Tiriac believes this is one of the reasons why the crowd at the French Open this year was not in favor of the Serb, especially in the match against Rafael Nadal.
"Nadal is Nadal, and at Roland Garros there is no one like him. And on the other hand, I think Djokovic has made a fatal, fatal mistake with the issue of the vaccine. Fatal. For his image and all that, a shame, because he is a sensational player," Tiriac said.
Ion Tiriac also spoke about the personality of Novak Djokovic and drew comparisons to John McEnroe and Ilie Nastase.
"He wants to be a personality, but he doesn't have the charisma of McEnroe or Nastase," Tiriac said. "So it's a little more difficult. Without a doubt he is a great player and a great worker. But he's not Nadal."
1) Hay algo en el tenis que, para un periodista, debería ser obligatorio hacer cada tanto: entrevistar a Ion Tiriac. Lo hicimos en @_claymagazine, y el resultado nos asombró incluso a nosotros. Algunas frases destacadas en este hilo👇
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Novak Djokovic set to drop even further in the rankings after Wimbledon
With Wimbledon not carrying any points this year after its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, one of the biggest losers will be Novak Djokovic. The Serb won the title at SW19 last year, beating Matteo Berrettini in the final, but will lose all of his 2000 points even if he wins the tournament this year.
Novak Djokovic (Tennis Player):
Not vaccinated I can't travel to most tournaments
Amol Rajan:
Price you're willing to pay, forgo being greatest player?
Novak Djokovic:
Yes
Amol Rajan:
Why?
Novak Djokovic:
Decision making principles on my body are more important than any title https://t.co/zgPE0SGlWx
After the French Open, Novak Djokovic was dethroned from the top spot in the rankings by Daniil Medvedev. Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, reached the semifinals of the French Open and became the new World No. 2. This marks the first time since November 2003 that no member of the Big 3 is in the top two spots in the rankings.
Djokovic is ranked No. 3 in the world right now but will drop out of the top-5 after Wimbledon. With rules for entry to the US for unvaccinated foreign nationals still in the air, it remains to be seen if the Serb will be able to play at the US Open this year.