Novak Djokovic US Open 2022 withdrawal: Why the Serb not being allowed to play in New York is worse than the Australian Open debacle
Novak Djokovic's 2022 season is about to end the same way it started, with the Serb missing a Grand Slam due to his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine. While it was Australia that disappointed him to kick off the year, it is now the turn of the United States at the fag end of the season.
A few hours ago, the 21-time Grand Slam champion took to social media to confirm the bad news: His entry into New York was impossible and as a result, he has been forced to sit out the US Open.
The former World No. 1, classy as he is, went on to wish his fellow players all the best at Flushing Meadows, a tall act considering that he just had his dream of playing the US Open quashed.
In many ways, the World No. 6's situation feels like nothing compared to what happened Down Under in January. Back then, Djokovic was granted a medical exemption to enter the country and try to defend his title at the Australian Open.
But when he touched down in Melbourne, the then three-time defending champion was prevented from leaving the airport by border patrol. After hours of detention, the 21-time Major winner was taken to a hotel nearby, where he was detained further while a court hearing was scheduled.
While the court gave a verdict in his favor, however, Australia's Immigration Minister stepped in and used his discretionary powers to cancel Djokovic's visa dramatically.
The 35-year-old responded by taking the matter up with the courts once again, but this time, the decision went against him, and mere hours before the tournament kicked off, he was deported from the country in a controversial manner.
None of that happened at the US Open, however. Unlike the Australian Open authorities, the organizers of the New York Major made it clear from the very beginning that they would abide by the government rules. No medical exemption would be applied for, and Novak Djokovic was left to fend for himself.
The CDC amendment earlier last week was the only event of note: In particular, it was a comment stating that non-vaccinated people would be treated in the same way as those who had taken the jab. Unfortunately, the rule was extended only to US citizens, and the Serb had to wait to find out more.
Today, however, when the new guidelines confirmed that no such changes were to be made for visiting foreigners, he had to accept the inevitable -- that his window of participation in the US Open had come to a sad close.
Despite this lack of significant events in the lead-up, though, one cannot help but think that his ban for competing in New York feels worse than when it came to pass in Melbourne. For starters, there are the scars of the 2020 incident, where the World No. 6 was suspended from the tournament for accidentally hitting a line judge with a wayward ball.
Dominic Thiem went on to win his maiden Slam days later, but the Serb's fans are yet to forget that it could have been his if not for that ruling. Then there is the fact that Novak Djokovic lost in the final last year to Daniil Medvedev in the final, losing out on the Calendar Grand Slam by the barest of margins.
The New York crowd, which had never been as responsive to the former World No. 1 as it had been to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, had finally accepted Djokovic as one of their own that day, showering him with applause as he broke down on his bench. This year would have been his chance at revenge, a chance that would have also brought with it a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam.
🏼@DjokerNole @Michell84885765 Having the strength and integrity to not be bullied or coerced by tyrants and bureaucrats is a far greater prize to carry you through life. As is the peace of mind. Respect. 👏🏼👏🏼
Speaking of 22 Grand Slams, it would have also been possible for fans to see Rafael Nadal and Djokovic lock horns once again at a hardcourt Major, something that hasn't happened since the 2019 Australian Open.
The duo have faced each other thrice at the French Open since then, with Nadal leading 2-1. They could have met at Wimbledon this year, but the Spaniard had to withdraw from the semifinals with one match to go.
What sense does it make if unvaccinated fans can attend the US Open but an unvaccinated Novak Djokovic cannot enter the country?
Finally, there are the circumstances of the matter at hand themselves, which hardly seem to make sense. In the case of the Australian Open, the pandemic was at its peak and vaccination rates were only starting to pick up. The government's justification for keeping Djokovic out at the time, that he represented a health hazard and risked becoming a voice for the anti-vax warriors, was pedestrian but acceptable.
With the pandemic all but becoming endemic now though, especially in the United States where lockdowns have completely disappeared and are now only a distant memory, the same argument stops holding water.
@DjokerNole @WrecklessGamer It's clear that the travel ban will be lifted in November - the timing, no doubt, decided to ensure you wouldn't get to travel in time. But you are the most wonderful ambassador for personal freedom.
And consider this: the spectators at the event will not be required to be vaccinated, owing to the same aforementioned CDC rules. Tennis players from the United States will also be able to sidestep that rule. In such a scenario, it is impossible to overlook the fact that these guidelines are nothing more than cosmetic, nothing more than simple lip service to appease controlling interests.
For Novak Djokovic himself, this will not be as traumatic as the events that transpired in Australia. The Serb has reiterated time and again in interviews that it took him a long time to get over the humiliation he was dealt there. This disappointment in the United States, therefore, might not even register with the former World No. 1.
But by every other metric, this set of events appears worse. It almost feels as if the US government and the US Open authorities did not want a repeat of what went down in Australia and therefore took every precaution to keep anything controversial from coming out.
Joe Biden & Jill Biden got vaxxed FOUR times, still got covid, got rebound covid... and were applauded.
Djokovic declined vaccination & isn't allowed into the U.S. to play in the U.S. Open. He's not sick.
Do you not see the problem?
Only by doing so, they've ended up creating something far worse. They created a silence through which the beliefs already in place could be strengthened. Instead of coming out and addressing the issue, they've reinforced the opinion that the establishment stands against Djokovic, even when the rules are nonsensical at best.
If the US Open had simply taken a gamble and done something as basic as requesting an exemption for the World No. 6, it might have helped them come out of this looking good. Unfortunately, they did not, and now they have to deal with the millions and millions of tweets from loyal Djokovic and tennis fans that are bound to come their way in the coming weeks.
Djokovic, meanwhile, will continue to sit in Serbia, proud of himself for sticking to his guns in the face of public outcry, while being hailed as the hero of bodily autonomy by right-wing conservatives who have never watched a game of tennis in their lives until now.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results