Novak Djokovic's Pyrrhic victory

He's probably allowed to play. But even if he wins again, as he has done nine times before, Novak Djokovic will be one of the losers at the Australian Open this year. The Serb, who has been fighting for years to be loved like Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, has destroyed these efforts in one fell swoop with his entry campaign in Australia. There will probably continue to be maximum respect for him in the future, which he will rightly be shown due to his sporting achievements. But there won't be much more.

There is no question of guilt or innocence in this situation. It is simply the result of the actions of him and his entire clan, which includes the government of Serbia. Djokovic doesn't just enjoy the special status of an outstanding athlete in his home country. He is seen almost like Jesus and people certainly trust him to walk on water. That's why he enjoys freedoms that would never be granted to anyone else. He is invulnerable and woe betide anyone who shakes this position, as the Australians did by initially refusing him entry. Worse, they treated the tennis star like any normal person who does not meet all the conditions currently required to visit Australia. A god who wears normal shoes and has to go to a deportation hotel where there are asylum seekers in the next room waiting to be deported. Some have been there for three years at least. Politics gets involved Of course, Serbia's current president Aleksandar Vucic couldn't and didn't want to accept that and even summoned the Australian ambassador. Of course, this falls under the heading of election campaigns and polemics and is nothing other than politically motivated activism. By siding wholeheartedly with Djokovic, he is gaining a lot of brownie points from his supporters. The athlete is also exploited in this way, although he has no objection to becoming a plaything for political forces. He is an ardent supporter of Vucic and his rather right-wing Progressive Party.

Aleksandar Vucic sided with Djokovic. © APA/afp / JURE MAKOVEC

Djokovic is a figurehead for his country and there is now even a postage stamp with his likeness. What is interesting in this context is the fact that the official presentation was probably carried out on December 17th. One day after Djokovic allegedly got Corona. So he actually should have been in quarantine, but he continued to accept other official appointments afterwards. Always without distance and a mask, like on his highly controversial Adriatic tour, which he organized when tennis operations came to a standstill internationally in the first wave of Corona. Djokovic unscrupulously pushed through all concerns. Supported by his government and fueled by his father Srdjan, who is now really overstepping the mark when he stands by his son, which can be understandable from a father's point of view, if he would not disregard good morals let. Srdjan's vocabulary is not helpful when trying to understand his son. It is counterproductive if he stands up in front of his son's supporters in Belgrade and unleashes inflammatory tirades. Ultimately, that doesn't make Novak any more likeable. Vaccination status: There were never any clear statements The situation when it comes to entering Australia is certainly complicated. Novak Djokovic had to know that, as did his closest advisors and everyone around him. But there were never any clear statements about his vaccination status in advance; he constantly alluded to the fact that the red carpet would, and indeed had to, be rolled out for him, the multiple champion in Melbourne.

It is the typical hubris of an undoubtedly great sports personality that reveals a disturbed relationship to normal life. It's a life on another planet, far away from his fans whose love he so desperately wants to win. He can only do this in Serbia. But of course he still has fans outside of his country. Even in Australia, such as federal judge Anthony Kelly, who focused quite heavily on the “dealing” with Djokovic in his decision to reverse the visa revocation. He even stabbed the border authority officials in the back. According to Kelly, this is something that upsets him. Novak Djokovic was initially treated like any other tourist, but later had a laptop delivered to his quarantine hotel and gluten-free meals. And following instructions from Kelly, he was allowed to leave his accommodation early for the duration of the proceedings and go to a hotel of his choice.

Now everyone is presenting this as a win for Djokovic against Australia. But it's a Pyrrhic victory, won on a floor where a soulful stop and a cracking forehand count for nothing. And a return is still possible because the Interior Minister of Australia, Karen Andrews, has a good second serve. She said there was no guarantee that a non-citizen would be allowed entry into Australia. “There are criteria and conditions for entry and reasons for refusal or cancellation of a visa,” she said. The match goes into overtime.

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Novak Djokovic's Pyrrhic victory

The fight for Novak Djokovic's participation in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament this year, is making waves. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich sees the unvaccinated tennis star as a big loser, not through no fault of his own, even if no match has been played yet.

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