If you're a tennis fan, January in Australia means the Australian Open, the first grand slam of the year. Cast your mind back to January 2022, when Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia for being unvaccinated, and banned from entering Australia for three years. He had unsuccessfully sought a medical exemption. This ban was later overturned, and he made a triumphant return to the 2023 tournament. In doing so, he has become a figurehead for the so called anti-Covid vaccination freedom movement, who rallied around him at the time.
In a February 2022 interview with BBC News, Djokovic denied that he wanted special treatment, saying that, "So I take this very seriously, I really don't like someone thinking I've misused something... in my own favour, in order to, you know...eventually go to Australia."
Even so, being a high profile and wealthy athlete gave him the power to challenge Covid rules, whereas ordinary Australians could not. These were the ones who were kept from leaving their homes, earning a living, visiting ill or ailing family members or friends in hospital and aged care. Where has Djokovic ever expressed any empathy for them? The freedom movement may have supported him, but he didn't support them. As far as I know, he has never expressed any support for ordinary people who suffered under harsh covid restrictions. It is hard not to conclude that he was only standing up for his own rights, not anybody else's.
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