Tennis: Nine thoughts about Novak Djokovic

It’s historical stuff. Hysterical stuff. One of the world’s greatest athletes denied entry to Fortress Australia after a battle lasting even longer than the five hours and 53 minutes he needed to sneak past Rafael Nadal in the 2012 Open final.

Novak Djokovic at Melbourne airport after handing over his passport … only to be denied entry to Australia on Thursday. Picture: 9NEWS

It’s historical stuff. Hysterical stuff. One of the world’s greatest athletes denied entry to Fortress Australia after a battle lasting even longer than the five hours and 53 minutes he needed to sneak past Rafael Nadal in the 2012 Open final.

Finally, an opponent in Melbourne has outlasted him. You’d suggest Border Force sent the world No.1 packing but, of course, he may hardly be here long enough to empty his suitcases. There’s another bright side. Djokovic has always craved applause and if he’s on a flight back to Serbia from Tullamarine airport any time soon, he will never have heard a cheer like it.

From the moment Djokovic shot himself in the foot by gloating on social media about being cleared for the Open, I’ve had the following nine thoughts about the nine-time Australian Open champion.

First thought

He paid dearly for that idiotic Instagram post. He should sack his PR adviser. It was the dumbest thing he’s done since slogging a ball at that US Open lineswoman. He should have done what Rafael Nadal did. Lay low until standing on Rod Laver Arena for a practice session. Just get in the country first. Djokovic drew attention to himself. Talked himself up. Was guaranteed to be howled down. Incited community anger that pressured politicians and Border Force. His Instagram post read like a precious teenage girl boasting about going to a party that others were denied entry to. He wrote: “Wishing you all health, love and happiness in every present moment and may you feel love and respect towards all beings on this wonderful planet.” He put the mock on himself.

Second thought

A medical exemption hasn’t been this murky since Maria Sharapova tested positive to a performance-­enhancing drug and said she needed it because of a heart condition. Sharapova was given short shrift because never before had she mentioned the physical ailment behind her use of meldonium. I’m not saying Djokovic is doing a Sharapova and taking a performance-enhancing drug. But if he can get an exemption passed by two review panels on medical grounds, what else does he have a clearance for?

Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic posts from the airport in Melbourne on Thursday. Picture: Instagram

Third thought

Does he cop a re-entry ban? The Department of Home Affairs website says: “A re-entry ban, also known as an exclusion period, means a person may not be able to return to Australia for up to three years. A re-entry ban may be imposed when a person breaches their visa conditions. A re-entry ban will apply, if … your visa is cancelled because you provided false documents or false information to the Department of Home Affairs.” Is this Djokovic? Will his next match at Melbourne Park be in 2025?

Fourth thought

TA says Djokovic didn’t receive special treatment. Of course he did. In a way, so he should. He’s a special player. TA wants him here. Fair enough. When it was revealed on Thursday that TA had approached the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) regarding Djokovic’s possible “natural immunity”, the governing body looked rather silly.

TA was reminding ATAGI that some European countries don’t insist on vaccination for people who have already had Covid. Could that be the case for the Open? Asking for a friend. The Prime Minister confirmed discussions between government and TA about Djokovic. If that’s not special treatment, what is?

Fifth thought

Djokovic may play only one major this year. The French Open. Vaccination issues will arise in England ahead of Wimbledon; in America before the US Open. One of his former coaches, Ricardo Piatta, has told Italian media at the ATP Cup: “Djokovic may only play at ­Roland Garros because you have to be vaccinated to enter the United Kingdom and also outside ­Europe.”

A protester outside the Park Hotel in Carlton, Melbourne, where Novak Djokovic is staying . Picture: Sarah Matray

Sixth thought

His documentation always sounded as shonky as the doctor’s notes we used to get at Sydney University in the 1990s. If you were late with an assignment, hungover or simply fancied a few days off, you could go to this dodgy doctor in Newtown and he’d write any certificate you sought. No one ever checked the veracity of those notes. “There you go, problem solved,” he’d say. Unlike Djokovic, we never had to get the paperwork past Border Force.

Seventh thought

His parents always say what he’s thinking. When he won his first Australian Open, his mother Dijana said in reference to her son and Roger Federer, “Long live the king, the king is dead”. I bet that’s what Djokovic was thinking. His father, Srdjan, said on Thursday he wanted to fight the Border Force decision “on the streets”. He told Serbian media, “Tonight they can throw him in a dungeon, tomorrow they can put him in chains. The truth is he is like water and water paves its own path. Novak is the Spartacus of the new world which won’t tolerate injustice, colonialism and hypocrisy.” What nonsense. You know what Djokovic is? A tennis player. Not even Spartacus could get into ­Melbourne without being double-vaxxed.

Eighth thought

TA runs a great tournament – but this has been botched. The announcement about Djokovic’s availability for the Open came via … Djokovic’s Instagram account. It took authority away from the governing body. Official news should have first come from Craig Tiley’s office. Only after Djokovic’s self-harming selfie did TA follow up with a statement saying yes, that’s right, he’s on his way. Who was running the show? It looked like Djokovic. If he blindsided TA by publishing first, it shows a lack of regard for Tiley. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Djokovic realised he wasn’t home and hosed after all. “But Craig, I thought you said …”

Ninth thought

The sportswriter in me wishes Djokovic was playing the Open. If he can return to Serbia and successfully reapply for a visa (or just get the bloody jabs), we’re in for a couple of weeks of ­incredible sporting theatre. The tournament may be lessened by his absence.

But of course, that ain’t the point. Funerals over the past two years have been lessened by family members being barred. I suspect Djokovic won’t be missed once the tournament starts.