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It is strange that he behaves this way

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Emma Raducanu is thoroughly enjoying life, making a stunning entry at the Met Gala.  Normally, I wouldn't think much of such events, but in this case it was proof Emma was vaccinated, as the organizers required it.  You won't find Novak Djokovic or Daniil Medvedev at the Met.  Both have refused to take the vaccine, as have many other professional tennis players on the WTA circuit.  Why?  That's anyone's guess as they refuse to give details other than saying it is their "choice."

Djokovic was steamrolling his way through the tour this year before his highly public meltdown at the Olympics.  Novak had won three grand slam events, and if he had won the Olympics and the US Open, would have won a "Golden Slam" as they call it, the first man ever to do so.  Alas, it was not to be.  He got ousted in the semi-finals and pulled out of a mixed-doubles match without consulting his partner, Nina Stojanovic, after an apparent shoulder injury from throwing his racket all over the place.

I had always liked Novak, but he made some highly questionable choices over the last two years.  You may recall he staged charity tournaments during the height of the pandemic in 2020 that became super spreader events.  After testing positive for COVID, he seemed to think he was immune to both the coronavirus and criticism.  He did apologize, but it was rather half-hearted.  

He made up for it by adopting young grandstand coaches during his run at the Grand Slam, hoping to be the first man to do so in a calendar year since Rod Laver in 1967.  With pictures like this, it was easy to forgive Novak.  However, it turned out this was really nothing more than a publicity stunt in an attempt to redeem himself.  It came quickly to an end at the Olympics, where he thoroughly shamed himself.

Again, the question is why?  Having suffered trough COVID, at least to some degree, how difficult could a vaccine be?  Novak was having none of it.  He refused to take questions from reporters on the subject, insisting it was his choice.  Although there was no vaccine at the time, the charity events in Serbia should have been enough to indicate that his choice doesn't just effect him but all those around him.  Others got COVID too.  You can have your gluten-free diet and ply yourself with vitamins, but the vaccine is the surest way to inoculate yourself against the coronavirus, and make yourself less a risk to others.

As Andy Murray pointed out, it's not just Novak.  Andy estimates that half the players on the tour haven't taken the vaccine, which is going to present problems at next year's Australian Open, where the regulations will be much stricter than they were in New York.  For whatever reason the WTA has chosen not to mandate the vaccine, leaving it up to individual tournament organizers.  However, patience is wearing thin with this "freedom of choice." 

Novak's fall for grace is sad, primarily because it is his own doing.  Rafa had hinted at his fellow player's selfishness before the Olympics, saying Novak is totally obsessed with winning the most grand slam events, and became more outspoken after Djokovic's meltdown at the Olympics.  Oddly enough, Rafa took more heat from fellow tennis players than did Novak.

So now Emma Raducanu is the belle of the ball and not Novak.  Emma deserves all the attention she is getting, not because of her choices, but because she demonstrates an elan that Novak obviously never had.  Who knows how many grand slam events she will win in the future, but it doesn't really matter as the first one is always the sweetest.


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