Tennis

[Naysonymous]

I see Djokovic being allowed to play at the Australian open has gone down about as well as a cup of warm sick then.   I guess all those Aussies who couldn’t travel for the past two years should have just tried being really good at tennis or something?

[Miner Willy]

Yeah, on the face of it this seems ridiculous. Interesting that the politicians are now weighing in and there are suggestions they could overrule.

 

I suspect that, given the response and Djokovic's need to be loved, the cause of the exemption will have to be released to attempt to calm the tensions - will be very interesting to see how 'valid' it is. Even if there's a very good exemption reason (which isn't easy to think of, for such an athlete), he's created this situation through his statements and behaviour for the past two years.

[nakamura]

Yeah, I have lost all respect for him now and I hope he gets thrown out. 

[hungry joe]

 

 

[hmm]

Visa revoked according to the BBC.

 

Can't decide which is the sillier way to put yourself out of an Open that you were quite likely to win: smashing the ball into a line judge or denying yourself entry into the host country by being an anti-vax nut.

[footle]

I suppose he could be loved by Serbians and AntiVax Right Wing Nuts?

[Disgraced Toblerone]

[Miner Willy]

Is it coming out that his 'exemption' was claiming he'd had Covid in the past six months? I mean, I know he's a fucking oddball, but I was assuming there was more to it than that. And if so, how the fuck did that get past the 'blind' medical review?

 

Such a fucking screw up on just about every level. 

[Disgraced Toblerone]

1 minute ago, Miner Willy said:

Is it coming out that his 'exemption' was claiming he'd had Covid in the past six months? I mean, I know he's a fucking oddball, but I was assuming there was more to it than that. And if so, how the fuck did that get past the 'blind' medical review?

 

Such a fucking screw up on just about every level. 

It’s totally bizarre. But I believe its team and himself were just being total idiots - and they absolutely didn’t read the room. They thought they could get away with it.

 

Hubris again.

[Miner Willy]

10 minutes ago, Disgraced Toblerone said:

It’s totally bizarre. But I believe its team and himself were just being total idiots - and they absolutely didn’t read the room. They thought they could get away with it.

 

Hubris again.

 

If it comes out that that's the case, it's surely his credibility done for permanently. And for someone who has such a strong (and a bit weird) need to be loved, that's going to sting. 

[Disgraced Toblerone]

11 minutes ago, Miner Willy said:

 

If it comes out that that's the case, it's surely his credibility done for permanently. And for someone who has such a strong (and a bit weird) need to be loved, that's going to sting. 

More than weird. From the beginning of his carreer he was the guy that was craving for love. Without success. From the imitations of other players to his bizarre takes about gluten or vaccine. (And the less said about his nationalist Serbian takes sometimes the better….)
 

Even the French are laughing at this and trust me they usually don’t like Federer or Nadal.

 

it’s a bit sad. Djokovic is a wonderful player, a tremendous athlete. But also such an idiot apparently.

[Naysonymous]

27 minutes ago, Disgraced Toblerone said:

It’s totally bizarre. But I believe its team and himself were just being total idiots - and they absolutely didn’t read the room. They thought they could get away with it.

 

Hubris again.

Most of the time people of Djokovic’s socioeconomic status do get away with it.  I guarantee there will be a large number of people who will claim that (at best) he’s been stitched up or (at worst) he’s the victim of tyranny.  Can’t blame a guy for developing an inflated sense of ego when he’s had people telling him yes his entire adult life. 

[Disgraced Toblerone]

3 minutes ago, Naysonymous said:

or (at worst) he’s the victim of tyranny.  

There you go.

 

 

[Nick R]

4 hours ago, hungry joe said:

 

 

 

[hmm]

11 hours ago, Naysonymous said:

I guarantee there will be a large number of people who will claim that (at best) he’s been stitched up or (at worst) he’s the victim of tyranny.  Can’t blame a guy for developing an inflated sense of ego when he’s had people telling him yes his entire adult life. 

 

It's mostly going to be a load more culture war bullshit, I expect, leaking into yet another place that had mostly been free of it (except maybe Osaka's troubles a little bit).

 

I don't think it has as much to do with entitlement as him being a bit of a nut about various topics. That's stood him in good stead much of the time, because along with his more fringe beliefs there is clearly an incredible athletic discipline there, but his vaccine position strikes me as largely 'my body is a temple and I decide what goes in it', even if probably quite a lot of what goes in it is absolutely quackery. His opinion may be idiotic but I think it's very genuinely held.

 

But, inevitably, everyone with related beliefs will now pick up on and campaign about this, and conveniently ignore the point - as Nadal straightforwardly stated yesterday - that while Djokovic may have the right to control what goes into his body, he has no absolute right to then stride into Australia and has to (or should have to) accept the consequences of his choices.

[layten]

No-vac Djokovic

[Loik V credern]

 

I knew it. djokovic is the reincarnation of bruce lee. 

[nakamura]

A reporter on BBC radio was suggesting he should be immune from criticism because he is good at tennis. I wish I was joking. 

[Loik V credern]

I think once you said 'BBC' anything you follow up with will be believed.

[deerokus]

5 hours ago, nakamura said:

A reporter on BBC radio was suggesting he should be immune from criticism because he is good at tennis. I wish I was joking. 

If only Covid immunity worked the same way as criticism immunity.

[merman]

Getting the exemption stank of money bending the rules.

 

The U-turn stinks of political opportunism at a time when the Government is unpopular for imposing restrictions on its own people.

 

There seems to be two reasons anyway - Djokovic himself opposing vaccines, and a member of his team not declaring their vaccination status properly.

[MrPogo]

Ah, the good old Australians: “I can categorically state Mr Djokovic is not being held captive, as his parents claim; he remains in the hotel completely voluntarily and is free to leave anytime he likes, with the only condition being that he has to head straight to the airport and board a plane to anywhere but another Australian city”.

[Minion]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy

 

I hope they kick his arse out, and if not I hope he rightly gets the reception he deserves in every match he plays. Entitled muppet, he may end up with the most slams but he will never be loved outside of Serbia unlike Roger and Rafa and many other tennis greats of the past.

[merman]

Either outcome is not good, even if Djokovic isn’t the only player affected.

 

Let him play and you embolden the anti-vaxxers and his giant ego.

 

Kick him out of the country and he becomes a near-martyr for the cause.

[McFly]

8 hours ago, Minion said:

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy

 

I hope they kick his arse out, and if not I hope he rightly gets the reception he deserves in every match he plays. Entitled muppet, he may end up with the most slams but he will never be loved outside of Serbia unlike Roger and Rafa and many other tennis greats of the past.

I thought Djokovic was well liked, was there something specific that turned people against him or is it stuff like this visa stupidity? Iirc he feeds his dog a vegan diet or some such form of animal abuse.

[Alexlotl]

3 minutes ago, McFly said:

I thought Djokovic was well liked, was there something specific that turned people against him or is it stuff like this visa stupidity?

 

I'm very much a tennis casual, but for some reason I reflexively hated him from the very first moment he hit the scene, for no reason that I could work out. I've always felt vaguely bad about it, so it's been a delight to see him belatedly justify my previously baseless dislike.

[Minion]

27 minutes ago, McFly said:

I thought Djokovic was well liked, was there something specific that turned people against him or is it stuff like this visa stupidity? Iirc he feeds his dog a vegan diet or some such form of animal abuse.

 

He's definitely got more fans now but he's still not particularly liked in comparison to Federer and Rafa. It's mainly due to his antics I believe. This current situation is just another example of his horribly entitled and aggressive attitude. Early on in his career he would take many dubious injury timeouts and even defaulting in big matches like the semis at Roland Garros against Rafa, and again at WImbledon a few weeks later, I think that was 08 and other GS'. He's shouted at and even hit ballboys with balls, he's been disqualified from the US Open for injuring a judge! He's shouted many times at slightly hostile crowds in Serbian, a particularly memorable one was in Madrid. Then there is the possoming, this is where in long matches, particularly against Rafa he would act like he was totally gassed and then as soon as his opponent's guard was down he would suddenly be chasing down everything, just terrible gamemanship basically. I've been an avid watcher of tennis for the last 15 years and it's been interesting to watch him, a lot of the most memorable matches I've seen have been with him, the RG semi in 2013 was probably the most incredible, but also matches against Nishikori at Rome and when he lost to Nishi at the US, his epic battles with Federer (Federer creaming him at RG in 2011 was a particular highlight as he came in not having lost a match and everyone was saying he would beat both Roger and Rafa), and I guess a lot of the hate is Rafa and Roger fanboys being a bit salty that he stopped them both in his tracks. For me though it's his horrible personality that comes out on court so many times, his tennis is impeccable, if he behaved in a similar fashion he would be adored like Roger and Rafa so he's only got himself to blame. 

 

Edit: The pundits love him though, people like Courier and Wilander are constantly singing his praises and he's quite popular amongst the younger players...

[McFly]

20 minutes ago, Minion said:

 

He's definitely got more fans now but he's still not particularly liked in comparison to Federer and Rafa. It's mainly due to his antics I believe. This current situation is just another example of his horribly entitled and aggressive attitude. Early on in his career he would take many dubious injury timeouts and even defaulting in big matches like the semis at Roland Garros against Rafa, and again at WImbledon a few weeks later, I think that was 08 and other GS'. He's shouted at and even hit ballboys with balls, he's been disqualified from the US Open for injuring a judge! He's shouted many times at slightly hostile crowds in Serbian, a particularly memorable one was in Madrid. Then there is the possoming, this is where in long matches, particularly against Rafa he would act like he was totally gassed and then as soon as his opponent's guard was down he would suddenly be chasing down everything, just terrible gamemanship basically. I've been an avid watcher of tennis for the last 15 years and it's been interesting to watch him, a lot of the most memorable matches I've seen have been with him, the RG semi in 2013 was probably the most incredible, but also matches against Nishikori at Rome and when he lost to Nishi at the US, his epic battles with Federer (Federer creaming him at RG in 2011 was a particular highlight as he came in not having lost a match and everyone was saying he would beat both Roger and Rafa), and I guess a lot of the hate is Rafa and Roger fanboys being a bit salty that he stopped them both in his tracks. For me though it's his horrible personality that comes out on court so many times, his tennis is impeccable, if he behaved in a similar fashion he would be adored like Roger and Rafa so he's only got himself to blame. 

 

Edit: The pundits love him though, people like Courier and Wilander are constantly singing his praises and he's quite popular amongst the younger players...

Great post, thanks

38 minutes ago, Alexlotl said:

 

I'm very much a tennis casual, but for some reason I reflexively hated him from the very first moment he hit the scene, for no reason that I could work out. I've always felt vaguely bad about it, so it's been a delight to see him belatedly justify my previously baseless dislike.

Same as me, really, I was just assuming he was liked.

[footle]

A lot of it will be roger and Rafa fanfolk, once you count them out you’ve got people who don’t like him because he’s basically a highly optimised tennis machine. But he’s taken what he’s got and hell has he really tuned it to the max.

 

shame he’s an antivaxer nut, really.

[footle]

Convenient infection in mid December it is.