Novak Djokovic paid a very high price for his choice not to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus. The world number 1 was unable to defend his title at the Australian Open, as well as suffering serious damage to his image.
The Serbian phenomenon was expelled from the country after a soap opera that lasted almost two weeks and had to watch helplessly as his eternal rival Rafael Nadal triumphed in Melbourne Park. Due to strict US regulations, the 20-time Grand Slam champion was also forced to miss the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami.
The improvement in the health situation has allowed Nole to return to the circuit on a permanent basis, but rust and age have affected his state of form. After stammering in Monte Carlo (and the Serbia Open), the 34-year-old from Belgrade made significant progress at Madrid’s Caja Magica.
‘Djoker’ surrendered in the semifinals to a wild Carlos Alcaraz, at the end of a no holds barred battle. In a recent interview, Microsoft founder Bill Gates was asked for an opinion on Novak’s opposition to the Covid-19 vaccine.
Bill Gates on Novak Djokovic
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, has taken a sly dig at World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for his COVID-19 vaccination stance. “Being vaccinated helps the community that you’re in. They’re not perfect at blocking infection, but they do reduce infection, and so it is unfortunate that someone’s health concerns are so extreme that they cannot participate in that community protection.”
Gates added: “If they’re an insipational and trusted person, you know, then, they’re spreading that, it just makes it tougher to get the vaccination levels that we really need. So, I admire him in a lot of ways, but I wish his views on vaccine weren’t that way.”
Carlos Alcaraz outplayed Novak Djokovic in undoubtedly one of the most epic matches of the 2022 Madrid Open. The two played their highest level of tennis, leaving no stone unturned in finding a way to beat each other. He said, “He held his nerves very well.
For somebody his age to play so maturely & courageously is impressive. He deserved to win”. Alcaraz got his reward by winning the nail-biting match. However, one cannot ignore the quality game of Djokovic. Even though he lost the match, he played a highly polished and balanced game, giving a slight glimpse of his game during his peak form.
Looking at Djokovic’s performance, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that he did push Alcaraz to his limits during his run to the victory.
