Eight-time Grand Slam champion Jimmy Connors recently spoke out in defense of Novak Djokovic with respect to his unwavering position on the COVID-19 vaccine that limited his eligibility in 2022.
Djokovic, the newly minted 2023 Australian Open champion, has now earned 22 Grand Slam titles, tying him with Rafael Nadal.
The reality is that Djokovic missed two Grand Slam tournaments in 2022 because of the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for the Australian and U.S. Opens.
He was not willing to get the vaccine to participate in these tournaments so he skipped them.
It is not an off-base assumption to conclude that he would have won at least one of those tournaments.
That means that Djokovic could have already surpassed Nadal in the Grand Slam title race.
Connors Commends Djokovic For Taking A Stand
On his Advantage Connors podcast, Jimmy said in part:
“The guy stood up for his beliefs, right or wrong…He was willing to stick by that, to the point of being ostracized from the game.”
Jimmy Connors hails Novak Djokovic for taking a stand for his beliefs although people were criticising him 👏#NovakDjokovic #AustralianOpen #Tennis pic.twitter.com/akL4f8zPK8
— Sportskeeda Tennis (@SK__Tennis) February 4, 2023
Connors Is Not Wrong But Not Completely Right Either
Djokovic is his own person and does not hesitate to say or think what he believes.
However, it seems like a stretch to say he was in jeopardy of being ostracized by the game.
Djokovic’s opinions were very much a part of the worldwide conversation regarding COVID-19 and the vaccines.
People had differing opinions, but Djokovic’s stature in the game guaranteed that he would not be ostracized.
Tennis is at its core a game of kindness and civility.
It may have temporarily been rocked by COVID-19, but the entire world was too.
Good news for Novak Djokovic: the American government said on Monday that all covid-19 emergency measures will end on May 11, meaning the Serbian will have a green light to enter the country after that — US Open (and Cincinnati, etc) now possible.
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) January 31, 2023
The good news is that all is well again as Djokovic has already won one of the Grand Slams he could not participate in last year.
The odds are in his favor to win the other one also, in September 2023 in New York.
Conclusion
In many ways, Connors is a kindred spirit to Djokovic.
He was a rebel that operated in his own unique way during his playing years.
Connors handled his entire career his way, playing until he was 43 years old.
For this reason, it is not surprising that Connors would admire Djokovic for sticking to his ethics regardless of the cost.
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