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Australia blurred the vaccination lines when they booted him for mixed reasons. Which makes what happened to him in Australia so important—yet so confusing. While the melodrama was playing out, it was difficult for me to pick a side. We were told that Djokovic, famously anti-vax for famously uninformed reasons, had been cleared by two independent medical panels to be exempt from Australia’s vaccination rules for unknown reasons. Because they were personal medical reasons, the panels said they could not publicly disclose the nature of his exemption. Okay, I can respect that. Perhaps he had an aggressive allergy to the vaccination or some other physical malady that prevented him from receiving the vaccination. Such cases were rare but they did exist. I was willing to wait and see what the facts were before weighing in. But the public was as skeptical of this as would be the principal of Ferris Bueller’s doctor’s note excusing him from school. The problem is that Djokovic has a history of being a scoff-vax based on numbskullery rather than legitimate medical concerns. For example, in April 2020, before vaccines were even available, he stated he was “opposed to vaccination,” though he gave no reasons why. He later said on Facebook live that he was “curious about wellbeing and how we can empower our metabolism to be in the best shape to defend against imposters like Covid-19.” We’re all curious and would like nothing better than to use holistic or herbal alternatives to medicine. But there is nothing scientifically proven to be as effective in protecting us than the vaccine. All other remedies have been proven to be at best minimally effective and at worst fatal. He had more medical advice to give. On Instagram live he told followers that positive thought had the power to “cleanse” polluted water, further claiming that “scientists have proven that molecules in water react to our emotions.” Tell that to the people of Flint, Michigan. Perhaps he got his medical degree from watching Peter Pan, who taught Wendy and her brothers to fly by thinking “lovely thoughts.” Clearly, Djokovic’s bar for scientific proof is a bit lower than most people’s ankles. He explained how a he became persuaded of the harmful effects of gluten: a nutritionist had him hold a slice of bread in his left hand while pressing down on his right arm. He said he was much weaker while holding the bread. Voila! Gluten makes you weak. Yup, he said all that. To millions of followers on social media. Back to the Australian Open and all the confusion. Djokovic was invited to defend his title which, if he were successful, would have given him a record 21 men's singles grand slam titles. The world would be watching this momentous occasion. Lots of money was on the line for everyone involved. The hitch was that Australian law requires all international arrivals to be double-vaccinated against Covid-19 unless they have a medical exemption. Exemptions are given only to those who can prove they've suffered anaphylaxis after a previous dose, or any component of a vaccine, or are significantly immunocompromised. Djokovic’s defense was that two independent panels associated with Tennis Australia and the Victorian state government exempted him because he had been infected with Covid-19 in December. That did not meet the legal standard. Plus, there were factual errors on the form detailing his travels in the 14 days prior to arriving in Australia. As a result, he was booted from the country. Some of the confusion was when the medical issue was apparently abandoned altogether. I understand not letting him in because he’s not vaccinated and his recent bout with COVID-19 was not enough to protect him or others (as numerous studies show). But Australia’s Immigration Minister Alex Hawke then made this unfortunate statement: “I consider that Mr. Djokovic’s ongoing presence in Australia may lead to an increase in anti-vaccination sentiment generated in the Australian community, potentially leading to an increase in civil unrest of the kind previously experienced in Australia with rallies and protests which may themselves be a source of community transmission.” Hold on, Minister. Democracies do not deport people simply because they have ideas and beliefs different than those supported by the government. Yes, exceptions are made when those beliefs promote widespread violence, but that is not the case in a country where 92% of the population is vaccinated (in the U.S. 75.1% have at least one dose). He should have been deported for his non-compliance with the medical standards, not for his reasons to not comply. In the end, Djokovic got what he deserved. And then some. He may not be allowed to defend his French Open title in May either. France has stated that all athletes will have to be vaccinated in order to attend and compete in sporting events. Spain has also warned him that he will need to comply with their laws. While most of his sponsors have continued to support him or remain silent, Lacoste, one of his major sponsors, has stated that “as soon as possible, we will be in touch with Novak Djokovic to review the events that have accompanied his presence in Australia.” However, in his home country of Serbia, his return was seen as a moral victory for some. Said one supporter cheering him at the airport, “I think he entered history as a hero, as a man and as a fighter against this evil which is called corona-circus…[He] is the greatest legend walking the earth, he is a living saint.” Of course, Serbia has only about a 60% vaccination rate. The problem is that at the rate they’re vaccinating, it will take over a year to vaccinate just 10% more of the population. That issue is compounded by the fact that Serbia is at its peak of infections right now, with over 14,000 new cases a day in a population of seven million. As this “saint” strides the Earth, he is a bit like a virus himself, spreading dangerous misinformation that helps infect the population, increasing sickness and death among his fellow Serbians and everyone else who looks up to him because he can hit a tennis ball but doesn’t understand the Scientific Method that ushered in the Age of Reason. It’s another blow to the many exceptional athletes who are both skilled in their sport and responsible community members. And who are worthy of the adulation of their fans.
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