via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – Accor Arena, Paris, France – November 7, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his final match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – Accor Arena, Paris, France – November 7, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his final match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
The Novak Djokovic visa saga finally reached its conclusion yesterday, after a long couple of weeks. Ever since the Serb set foot in Australia, he had been embroiled in controversy regarding his medical exemption for the Australian Open. Instead of watching the World No. 1 play, fans have witnessed him in legal battles against the authorities. With the Serb not allowed to play at the Australian Open, and having been deported from Australia, his fans have been left dejected.
Everyone from the tennis world has given their take on the matter, and the most recent legend to come to Novak’s defence was John McEnroe, the American former professional.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Novak Djokovic’s Biggest Controversies
What did John McEnroe say about the Novak Djokovic case?
The American, while speaking on ESPN, criticized Australia for the way they handled Djokovic’s case. He said that he had texted Novak “It’s BS,” in reference to the way he was deported out of Australia. The reporter further described John as being “all over the place,” in his comments.
John McEnroe on ESPN is ripping Australia for the way it handled the the Djokovic situation. Says he texted Novak, "It's BS."
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) January 17, 2022
McEnroe, the 7-time Grand Slam champion, was known for not holding back his opinion during his playing career as well. And it seems like he went all out on ESPN in what has been termed a “pro-Djokovic COVID tangent,” to kick off their coverage of the Australian Open.
John McEnroe says “you know journalists have been known to make things…” and is cut off. Didn’t know the facts of the Djokovic situation, where Novak met with a journalist the day after testing positive for COVID.
Djokovic already confirmed meeting with journalist post-test.
— Lukas Flippo (@FlippoLuke) January 17, 2022
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John even started to accuse journalists of making stuff up before he was cut off. For clarity, Novak Djokovic had already admitted to meeting a journalist after testing positive for Covid-19, in what he called an “error of judgement.”
via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Paris Masters – Accor Arena, Paris, France – November 7, 2021 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts during his final match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Meanwhile, after losing the appeal yesterday, Djokovic’s hopes of defending his Australian Open title were crushed. Moreover, the Serb could potentially lose the top spot in the ATP rankings to Daniil Medvedev if the latter manages to reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open 2022.
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Will Novak Djokovic be dethroned from the top spot after the Australian Open? What do you make of McEnroe’s statements? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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