Anybody who had the pleasure of watching the Wimbledon men’s final Sunday morning surely shared the sentiments of runner-up Nick Kyrgios, who said of seven-time winner Novak Djokovic: “He is a bit of a god.”
Elegant maestro Roger Federer and humble warrior Rafael Nadal have always received more fan worship than Djokovic, whose early career histrionics and more recent views on vaccinations make him a polarizing figure. But there is no disputing that Djokovic is one of the greatest players of all time.
Maybe The Greatest when all is said and done.
On Sunday, he recovered from a set down to defeat the uber-talented Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) for his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title. As the ESPN camera zoomed in on the golden trophy that remains in the clubhouse, the last four lines read: Djokovic. Djokovic. Djokovic. Djokovic.
The only other men in the modern era who have won four in a row on the hallowed lawn of the All-England Club are Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras and Federer. His seven Wimbledon titles equals Sampras for second best behind Federer, who has eight.
Djokovic is unbeaten in 39 matches on Centre Court since 2013.
He has now collected 21 Grand Slam titles, one shy of leader Nadal. He likely would have tied Nadal if he had been allowed to play in the 2022 Australian Open.
Djokovic was unable to defend his Australian Open title after he was deported by immigration authorities due to his unvaccinated status prior to the tournament starting.
And, as things stand now, he finds himself in another predicament because he remains unvaccinated against COVID-19 and will not be permitted to compete at the upcoming U.S. Open in August. The tournament does not require players to be vaccinated, nor does the sport’s governing bodies, but U.S. border authorities require proof of COVID vaccines from noncitizen nonimmigrants.
As of June 12, the United States ceased requiring negative coronavirus tests for entry into the country but did not stop requiring proof of vaccination from anyone with a foreign passport.
So, a vaccinated visitor who is infected with COVID at the time of the flight is allowed to enter the country, but a healthy unvaccinated foreign visitor is not. An American tennis player who has chosen not to be vaccinated, will be allowed to play at the U.S. Open but a foreign player who made the same decision will not.
Kyrie Irving can play in the NBA without a vaccine. Aaron Rodgers can play in the NFL without a vaccine. Unvaccinated fans can attend the U.S. Open. But Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis players in history, cannot play in the U.S. Open.
That doesn’t seem fair.
Asked about his position on the vaccine after his Wimbledon win Sunday, Djokovic made it clear he remains adamant and is willing to skip the tournament if it comes to that.
“I’m not vaccinated and I’m not planning to get vaccinated so the only good news I can have is them removing the mandated green vaccine card or whatever you call it to enter United States or an exemption,” Djokovic said.
“I don’t think exemption is realistically possible.... I think it’s just whether or not they remove this in time for me to get to the USA.”
Tennis legend and ESPN analyst John McEnroe said during the Wimbledon broadcast: “Let the guy come in and play in the U.S. I mean come on. This is ridiculous. You can agree to be tested. There’s got to be a way around this.”
McEnroe is correct. It seems ridiculous to keep Djokovic — or any other healthy business traveler — out of our country with what we have learned about COVID over the past two years.
Before you start firing off angry e-mails to my inbox let me stress that I am a strong proponent of the COVID vaccine. I am vaccinated and boosted. I urge everyone I know to do the same because it has proven to reduce the severity of the infection and reduce death rates. But sadly, it does not prevent you from getting or spreading the virus. A vaccinated person can spread the virus just as Djokovic can.
The only person Djokovic is possibly endangering by not getting vaccinated is himself.
If he is banned from entering the country, the tournament will lose one of the most talented and entertaining players in the world.
I will never forget the first time I saw Djokovic play live in a big match. It was April Fools Day 2007 at the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne. The charismatic 19-year-old was ranked No. 10 at the time and known mostly for his spot-on impersonations of fellow players. But he showed that week that he was more than a “Djoker”.
He knocked off Nadal in the quarterfinal and Guillermo Canas in the final and didn’t drop a set the entire tournament — the first man to do that since Ivan Lendl in 1989. He was crowned the youngest champion in the tournament’s 23-year history.
After the victory, he climbed into the stands to hug everyone he knew and then ripped off his yellow shirt, white cap, wrist bands and racket and threw them all to the crowd.
His personality showed again during the Wimbledon trophy ceremony on Sunday. Although Kyrgios had publicly criticized him in the past and the two did not have a good relationship, they had mended fences through social media posts in recent days. Kyrgios even invited Djokovic out for a drink.
During his victory speech, Djokovic smiled and said to Kyrgios: “I never thought I would say many nice things about you considering the relationship. OK, officially it is a bromance.”
Djokovic admitted afterward that it had been a difficult year and that he suffered greatly after the Australian Open. It was tough being viewed as a villain, hearing critics refer to him as “Novax,” and enduring judgmental looks wherever he went.
“It has affected me definitely in the first several months of the year,” he said. “I was not feeling great. Mentally, emotionally, I was not at a good place. I wanted to play, but I wasn’t feeling myself on the court. I realized at that point that it’s going to take some time, that I have to be patient, and sooner or later I will get myself in the state, optimal state, where I would like to be.”
He finally reached that point on Centre Court on Sunday. It would be a shame for him and tennis fans everywhere if he cannot play the U.S. Open. The tournament will not be safer without him. It will just be weaker and less entertaining.
