The Serb’s rejection of the COVID-19 vaccine and irregularities in the documentation forced the Oceanian country to take drastic measures.
Novak Djokovic He left Australia this Sunday after the justice rejected his appeal against his deportation ordered by the Government, which considered that the world number one in tennis represented a “health risk” for not having been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The decision, made unanimously by all three judges on the court, definitively dashed the 34-year-old Serb’s hopes of winning his record 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, which starts on Monday. The 34-year-old professional is the maximum champion of this contest with nine titles.
Djokovic was arrested upon arrival in Australia on January 5 and initially placed in administrative detention. The player, who contracted COVID-19 in December, expected an exemption to enter the country without being vaccinated, but the authorities did not accept this explanation.
How much could this scenario affect the Serbian professional? According to the magazine Forbes, Djokovic ranks fourth among the tennis players with the highest income in 2021. The athlete generated 38 million dollars, of which 30 were for efforts outside the field of play, with the Japanese sports brand Asics, the French car manufacturer Peugeot and the clothing firm Lacoste as his main sponsors; and the remaining eight million inside the rectangle.
Patrick Rishe, professor of Sports Economics at Washington University in Saint Louis (Missouri), argues that Djokovic “is not as nice as Roger (Federer) or Rafa (Nadal)” and that the attitude shown during this time “feeds this reputation”.
“This incident may prompt a brand that was perhaps planning a collaboration with him not to do so,” he added in statements collected by the portal. Infobae.
“His image is going to be affected by this situation, since most of the tennis players who play this tournament have been vaccinated and have respected the rules,” he said for his part. Josh Schwartz, responsible of marketing of athletes in the American agency Pivot. “It’s a shame as he’s close to setting the record for Grand Slam wins. And normally, when someone achieves that status, you can think that it will lead to opportunities to have more sponsors. But I do not imagine that they will be presented in the short term, ”he continued. However, the analyst considers that his current sponsors would not abandon their support for Djokovic.
The Hublot watch brand, one of the tennis player’s sponsors, told the international agency AFP that he is an “independent” guy and that he will “continue his sponsorship with the number one in tennis”.
At the moment Djokovic has lost the opportunity to seek to break the Grand Slam record in his favorite tournament. It also jeopardizes its position in the ranking of the ATP, which he currently leads, since if the Russian Daniil Medvedev (2nd) or the German Alexander Zverev (3rd) win the Australian Open, they will dethrone the Serbian from first place. The deportation from Australia and the impediment to participate in the Grand Slam seem to be just the beginning for Djokovic, who if he does not get inoculated against COVID-19, he would also be prevented from participating in the United States (US Open) and in the United Kingdom (Wimbledon). ). (D)
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