Novak Djokovic deportation has dealt a blow to his GOAT aspirations

Novak Djokovic’s appearance at the French Open appears unlikely due to his vaccination status. Will 2022 forever cost him in his hunt to become tennis’ GOAT?

Novak Djokovic of Serbia

Novak Djokovic faces the prospect of being denied entry to the French Open after a government official confirmed that the new vaccination pass will be mandatory for international athletes.

The world No. 1 from Serbia is scheduled to arrive back in Europe on Monday after being deported from Australia “on health and good order grounds” for his anti-vaccination stance. He is banned from the country for three years, although the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has left open the door for a reprieve under the “right circumstances”.

Unless Djokovic, 34, makes a U-turn in the coming months and decides to receive a Covid-19 jab, he is likely to miss a second consecutive grand-slam tournament. After being denied the opportunity to defend his title at the Australian Open, the same could happen at Roland Garros in May after France’s parliament approved the introduction of a vaccination certificate to enter public venues.

At this stage it looks like Novak Djokovic will miss his second Grand Slam of the year. Picture: AFP

French Open organisers claimed on Sunday that discussions were taking place regarding an exemption process for unvaccinated competitors, but an announcement on social media late last night from Roxana Maracineanu, the Minister delegate in charge of sports, appears to have ended any possibility of this.

“The vaccination pass has been adopted,” Maracineanu tweeted. “As soon as the law is confirmed, it will become mandatory to enter public buildings already subject to the health pass for all spectators, competitors, French or foreign professionals. Thank you to the sports movement for the work of conviction with the last rare unvaccinated [athletes]. We will work together to preserve the competitions and to be the ambassadors of these measures at the international level.”

This is a further blow for Djokovic, who is chasing a record 21st grand-slam men’s singles title. He is presently level with both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20, and now might not have the opportunity to win another major trophy until Wimbledon.

Djokovic is the reigning champion at Roland Garros after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year’s final. Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

As it stands, he will be eligible to compete at the All England Club in June because protocols in the United Kingdom allow unvaccinated international athletes to “leave accommodation to travel directly to any specified event” during an initial quarantine period of five days.

No doubt in need of some positive news, Djokovic might take some comfort from a series of interviews by Australian government officials today.

While the decision by the immigration Minister Alex Hawke to deport Djokovic comes with an automatic three-year visa ban, Morrison pointed out that any future application would not necessarily be denied. A clause in the migration act states that the “affected person” can be granted entry within the following three years in “compelling circumstances that affect the interests of Australia”.

“It [the ban] does go over a three-year period, but there is the opportunity for them to return in the right circumstances and that would be considered at the time,” Morrison told the radio station 2GB.

Djokovic was greeted by many fans after being deported from Australia. Picture: Loren Elliott/Reuters

The Minister home affairs Karen Andrews also admitted that the ban could potentially be waived if Djokovic receives the vaccine. Under present criteria, one dose of the Johnson and Johnson jab would be enough for him to be considered fully vaccinated.

“It may be something that could be taken into account any time that he may choose to apply for a visa to come back to Australia,” Andrews told Sky News Australia.

“Look, he had the opportunity to be vaccinated and he never took that opportunity in the past. If he had been vaccinated it would have been an entirely different scenario at the airport when he was attempting to come into Australia.”

Djokovic received support today from his compatriot Laslo Djere. The world No 51, who lost in the first round, described the saga as a “true catastrophic situation” but believes that Djokovic will not let the controversy affect his level of play when he eventually returns to the tour.

“I’m sure that he will come back stronger than ever,” Djere said. “That’s what he does. That’s also in our Serbian mentality. When we get beat down or we are treated in a bad way that we maybe don’t deserve, we — and especially him — try to be inspired and gain strength from that.”

– The Times

Will sponsors abandon Djokovic?

Novak Djokovic’s bruising Australian saga not only stalled his push for a record 21st Grand Slam, but could also force his multi-million dollar backers to rethink their relationship with one of tennis’s greatest if flawed champions.

The 34-year-old world number one, who was deported from Australia on Sunday, has banked more than $150 million on court in his career.

Off court, the numbers are just as staggering.

In 2021 alone, his sponsorship deals brought in some $30 million, according to figures from Forbes magazine.

His place on the rich list was assured by deals from a range of companies including Japanese sports equipment manufacturer Asics to French car maker Peugeot.

Djokovic’s Lacoste contract was his most lucrative, valued at around $9 million by several American media outlets.

However, that income still lags behind his contemporaries.

Roger Federer and Serena Williams, who both passed 40 in 2021, banked $90 million and $40 million respectively. Japan’s Naomi Osaka attracted $55 million.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a practice session ahead of the Australian Open [

Some experts feel that Djokovic’s fiery temperament and notorious mis-steps -- he was defaulted from the 2020 US Open for accidentally firing a ball into the throat of an official -- count against him.

“There is this impression that maybe he is not as likeable as Federer or Rafael Nadal,” said Patrick Rishe, professor of sports economics at Washington University in the US city of St. Louis.

Although involved in several charities and respected by most of his peers, Djokovic’s professional single-mindedness and stance over the Covid-19 vaccination have caused splits.

- ‘Image tarnished’ -

His admission of not isolating despite a positive test in December has seen his character further questioned.

“So any company that maybe was on the fence about working with him, this particular incident is just going to fuel the flames for not choosing to work with him, at least in the near term,” said Rishe.

“His image is going to be tarnished because of this situation, because most of the players who play in this tournament (Australian Open) are vaccinated and have respected the rules,” insisted Josh Schwartz, in charge of athletes marketing at American agency PIVOT.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Rishe, “because he is on the cusp of setting the record for Grand Slam victories. Normally, when someone reaches this status, you’d think there would be endorsement opportunities, but I don’t see any coming up in the short term.” Schwartz, however, does not see existing partners breaking their contracts in the midst of a crisis or even immediately after.

Djokovic reacting after losing a point

“Novak Djokovic is his own man. We cannot comment on his decisions,” a spokeswoman for Swiss watchmaker Hublot, which signed a contract with the player only last year, told AFP.

“Hublot will continue its partnership with the world number one in tennis.” Austrian bank Raiffeisen was more nuanced, recalling that its partnership dates back to “long before the reporting on the vaccination status of Novak Djokovic or his participation in the Australian Open”.

“As a sponsor, we are closely monitoring the ongoing situation,” it said. However, there is a risk that a rupture could occur given the emotion and heat driven by the pandemic.

“It’s a complicated situation,” admits Schwartz. “Legally, there was no misdemeanour.” Companies and leagues are still nervously treading through the commercial minefield associated with the health crisis.

In early November, after making ambiguous comments about vaccination, NFL quarter-back Aaron Rodgers was only dropped by a minor sponsor, Prevea Health.

NBA basketball star Kyrie Irving did not suffer financially despite denouncing the obligation for athletes to vaccinate in New York state.

- ‘Short memories’ -

“As consumers, we have very short memories,” argues Joe Favorito, a sports marketing specialist who teaches at Columbia University in the United States.

“We love heroes and villains and we love seeing people overcome hardships. If Novak Djokovic comes back, anywhere, it will top all of that, because he didn’t break any laws.

“This is just his personal opinion. It in no way diminishes what he has done on the courts.”tu/ig/dj/jc/pi

Originally published as Novak Djokovic deportation has dealt a blow to his GOAT aspirations