“There was no clear communication and Novak Djokovic paid a heavy price for it” Boris Becker opines on the Novak-Australian visa saga

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic had a difficult time in Australia last month when his stay was limited to just 10 days as he was deported and banned from entering Australia for 3 years on 16th January 2022, a few hours before his 1st round match in the 2022 Australian Open where he was the 3-time defending champion and a record 9-time tournament champion.

The debacle in Australia overshadowed the achievements of Novak in the 2021 season where he was 27-1 in the Grand Slam events reaching the finals of all 4 Slams and except for the 2021 US Open, he won the remaining three Slams to join Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 majors each, with Nadal now on 21 as he won the 2022 Australian Open and takes the lead.

Novak finished the 2021 season with 3 Slams, 1 Masters trophy (Paris) and 1 ATP-250 title (Belgrade 2) to close out his 7th year as the Year-end World No. 1, a record in itself. His position as the World No. 1 was never threatened throughout the year in what was one of the most dominant individual years in tennis history.

These achievements have got him nominated for the prestigious Laureus Awards that he has won 4 times previously (2012, 2015, 2-16, 2-19) and is one shy of matching Federer’s tally of 5 titles for the Sportsman of the Year award. Federer has 6 awards to his name with 1 being for the Best Comeback of the Year won in 2018. Boris Becker will be in the panel to determine this year’s winner and the former World No. 1 and 6-time Grand Slam champion spoke about Novak’s chances being affected due to the Australia visa episode.

“He had an amazing 2021 winning three of the Big 4. He came very close to winning the Grand Slam in the  US Open final , but lost to  Daniil Medvedev. He is  one of the favorites  to win the award for the best male athlete of the year, but we all remember what happened in Australia, which  was very unfortunate for him , although that  should not play a role in the voting.

“It’s a private election and no one can tell you what or who to vote for,  but we should reflect on the on-court performance as Novak’s 2021 was really impressive,” said Becker during his interview with RTVE.

“The rule is the same for everyone”: Boris Becker on Novak Djokovic being not allowed to play

While Becker gave an assurance that the view of Djokovic about vaccination will not affect the voting for the award, the German great also spoke about the importance of getting vaccinated which he made clear that it was his personal point of view and not something that he wishes to force on people.

“There are no winners in this. It is an unfortunate situation, but Novak paid a heavy price for it. There was no clear communication with Novak, unfortunately. This is not about whether you get vaccinated or not. The rule is the same for everyone, but you have to tell the player that he cannot go.

“The world is a better place if you get vaccinated, that’s for sure, but it’s your life,  it’s your body and it’s your choice. I’m older and obviously, I’m going to get vaccinated, but when you’re younger you don’t feel the virus as much and I’m not going to tell you: ‘if you don’t get vaccinated you’re a bad person.’ I’m not in that position,” added Becker, former coach of Djokovic from 2014 to 2016.

The Laureus Awards will be handed out in April 2022 via a virtual ceremony keeping in mind the challenges of the Pandemic and keeping the event a safe affair for everyone involved.

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