Djokovic is back just in time: the rebirth of the Serb to fight Roland Garros

Djokovic is back. The Serbian tennis player won the title in Rome and warned he was leaving the problems of the start of the year behind him. His first trophy of the year, he obtained it after beating the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, fifth in the world, by partials of 6-0 and 7-6 (5).

A solid victory that allowed him to climb to his 38th Masters 1000 title and the 88th of his entire career, during a brilliant week in which he was also able to enter the select group of players who won more than 1,000 tennis matches.

A) Yes, After beating the Norwegian Casper Ruud (8th) in the semi-finals in Rome, Djokovic settled alongside Rafael Nadal (1051), Ivan Lendl (1068), Roger Federer (1251) and Jimmy Connors (1274). .

But the Serbian tennis player’s season did not go well. At all. In January, Nole traveled to play the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. There, the Serb left with the hope of obtaining another title of this magnitude for his career.

However, a long-running TV series began which led to the tennis player’s expulsion and his inability to play the tournament. In fact, Nole hoped to continue expanding his supremacy in the ocean country and also defend his title obtained in 2021. But none of that happened.

And it is that the episode in Australia ended up being crowned as one of the most controversial moments in the tennis player’s career. Once he set foot on Australian soil, the storyline became complex. It was on Thursday January 14 that the athlete learned that his entry visa to Australia had been revoked and that he was being held in Melbourne.

Despite having carried a valid medical exemption for the entry of international visitors, the Serb has come up against the absence of a key element: the absence of the complete Covid-19 vaccine directive required by the island nation government.

From there, the Serb’s puzzle was just beginning, as his case began to escalate and the government of that country began to intervene. In the midst of federal elections, politicians saw in the case of the tennis player an opportunity to position themselves with the public.

However, in a clash of powers, during these weeks, Judge Anthony Kelly of the Federal Circuit Court in Melbourne ordered the Australian government to do something else: to implement his release, return his passport and personal effects. , in addition to paying court costs. .

With this decision, everything seemed resolved. Even Nole came to train at the Rod Laver Arena. But none of that. There appeared Alex Hawke, Minister of Immigration, who used his special power to personally cancel his visa. “The decision was made for health, safety and policing reasons, on the grounds that it was in the public interest was the Australian authority’s explanation at the time.

The decision, unsurprisingly, did not sit well with Nole, and he attempted to overturn it on appeal. However, it was unsuccessful and the three judges appointed for the procedure voted in favor of maintaining the measure. Thus, in the end, Djokovic could not defend his title in Melbourne.

“It bothers me that the focus has been on me for the past few weeks and hopefully now we can all focus on the game and the tournament that I love. “, Said the tennis player once he learned of this decision in which the decision to cancel his visa was confirmed unanimously.

Once expelled, the number stood by their decision not to get vaccinated. A decision that sometimes surprised the world of tennis after that, a few days after leaving the oceanic country, an action was revealed that for many was surprising: bought 80% of the shares of a pharmaceutical company Danish QuantBioRes seeks treatment for Covid-19 .

The pharmaceutical company’s CEO, Ivan Loncarevic, commented at the time that the acquisition by Djokovic took place in June 2020, and he would not reveal the amount of the operation which made European racketeering the main shareholder.

A move that many considered strange due to the refusal to get vaccinated. A vaccine that the tennis player said he would not receive, as he revealed in February in a dialogue with the BBC.

“I’m not against vaccinations, but my body is more important than any title. This is the price I am willing to pay. I defend the freedom to put what I want on my body he said in the interview, making it clear that he was willing to sacrifice other skills if one of the requirements is to be vaccinated.

“I defend the freedom to put what I want on my body “, he said in the interview.

The reason given by Djokovic is “because principles when it comes to my body are more important than any title or anything else ”.

However, he wanted to drop the “anti-vaccine” label or support the movement. “I have never been against vaccination. I understand that everyone around the world is trying to put a lot of effort to handle this virus and I hope to see the end of this virus soon. ”.

Finally, he closed the dialogue with this media by explaining that his expulsion from Australia was not due to non-compliance with any regulation, but because of the power of the Minister of Immigration of the Pacific country. “The reason I was deported from Australia is that the Minister for Immigration used his discretion to cancel my visa due to his perception that it might create anti-vaccine sentiment in the country or in the city , which I disagree with. ”.

Embroiled in controversy, Djokovic entered a downward curve. A) Yes, He came to lose his lead in the ATP rankings in February after his fall in Dubai, and that he had been world number one for 79 consecutive weeks. Thus, he ceded this position to the Russian Daniil Medvedev, today second .

These were not the best times for Nole, who, in addition to giving up the ATP summit, saw how he could not enter the United States, which caused him to miss Indian Wells and the Open. from Miami. Despite appearing in the list of the first Masters 1000 of the year, his decision not to get vaccinated prevented him from participating and he decided to withdraw from the competition. Place which finally won the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (20° ).

But in March things started to look up. After France confirmed that it was going to withdraw the COVID passport requirement, and who could play at Roland Garros was added on Surprise crash for Medvedev in Indian Wells third round . So, in less than two weeks, Nole was smiling again, because he was once again at the top of the ATP and was going to ask to defend his title in Paris. .

Like an energy balm, the Serb returned to focus on what he does best, and, on the clay courts of Rome, he managed to win the first trophy for him in 2022 . A title that takes on significant importance because it shows that Nole is already back on the circuit and that his thirst to continue to grow his name in tennis does not stop.

“I’ve shaped my style over the past few weeks and I knew my best form on clay was usually around Rome, so it couldn’t be better than coming to Roland Garros with a title. he said when Rome was over, showing that he was fired up to defend his crown on French lands.

From now on, Roland Garros is the challenge which rises in front of him. Shaken by the controversies of the beginning of the year, Djokovic goes to everything.