For a minute, put aside the fact that he is a World No.1 tennis player and then assess the context. Here is a world roiling with pandemic. In two years nearly 54,97,410 died. According to a report in The Lancet, globally between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021 an estimated 11,34,000 children experienced the death of primary caregivers including at least one parent or custodial grandparent. About 15,62,000 children experienced the death of at least one primary or secondary caregiver. Despite all of this, with vaccines and travel bans and a new year, hope of normalcy was once again blooming when a fresh virus surge had the atlas shivered. In such a situation, here is a person who is an anti-vaxxer; an anti-vaxxer with no mean social influence.

Is corona a tennis fan?

So Djokovic has never exhorted his fans to reject vaccines. But celebrity does not work by exhortation, only suggestion. Djokovic said he is “opposed to vaccination”. Those who keep track of Djokovic-science would know that he also said toxic food and polluted water can be cleansed “through the power of gratitude”. As for power of suggestion, when the world was on pause he organised a charity tournament in Croatia and Serbia, which turned out to be a virus spreader. He too eventually tested positive, though his wife Jelena suggested 5G is responsible for the pandemic. With vaccines, Djokovic did not stop at taking a personal stand. Thereafter, he prepared to participate in a sporting tournament --- which in its last edition had 8,12,000 people attending --- in another country, one with stringent vaccine regulations, without so much as planning to get vaccinated as per stipulated norms. Why? Because he is a phenomenal tennis player with 80 plus titles and all of that. But say someone has a double doctorate or is a Nobel laureate or a farmer tasked with feeding a nation, should those be reasons to exempt him or her from rules put in place to check spread of a deadly virus? Or do we know for sure that the coronavirus is a tennis fan?

Happy slam

The incident has raked up issues about Australia’s treatment of refugees living in detention for years. Serbians have taken this as an affront to the nation. Could the Australian government have avoided this debacle? Perhaps yes. Does the Professional Tennis Players Association make sense when it says “with the utmost respect for all personal views on vaccinations, vaccinated athletes and unvaccinated athletes (with an approved medical exemption) should both be afforded the freedom to compete". Perhaps not. But one thing this episode is certainly not about and that is sport. It is also not entirely about Covid-19, but a more dangerous condition called Entitlitis.

And by the way, another name for the Australian Open is "happy slam".