Novak Djokovic could be the first sports person on the planet to delay — or maybe derail — his chances of becoming the most successful in his code because of rank stupidity.
He has only himself to blame for his deportation from Australia ahead of the year’s first grand slam tournament, where he surely had a great chance of becoming the first man to win 21 titles. Now he’s level on 20 with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
There’s speculation his indiscretions in Australia might cost him entry into the French Open, but one would expect that, given the chance at Wimbledon and the US Open later in the year, he could still get there.
But at least for now fans can see that even the rich and famous sometimes get their comeuppance.
Personally, I think Djokovic’s actions — self-serving, selfish and lacking empathy — have hurt his status as a role model, and perhaps it’s safe to say the cut-throat world of professional sport has stripped some people, maybe many people, of ethics and good sportsmanship.
Muhammad Ali became The Greatest not just for his incredible skills but for his love for humanity and an unbreakable moral fibre that cost him the heavyweight championship at the peak of his career. Stick Djokovic’s soul into Ali’s body and he probably would have enlisted without blinking.
I can’t say I’m too tolerant of the anti-vaccination types. I think they’re stupid and antisocial, like the idiots who don’t wear their masks properly. Djokovic has thrown in an extraordinary dose of arrogance and entitlement into his equation, mixing with people after he’d tested positive, lying on his visa application and expecting rules to be bent for him. His actions come against the backdrop of myriad cockamamie conspiracy theories, but this is the age of misinformation.
Perhaps it’s not the fault of Novax, the moniker Djokovic has earned, that he holds the views that he does when so many respected medical professionals have been cautioning against the Covid-19 vaccines, like SA’s own Prof Tim Noakes, a celebrated sports scientist.
Noakes, an expert on long-distance running and other sports, branched out into Banting and now ranting on the perils of Covid-19 vaccinations and all jabs, it seems. He’s earned a couple of well-deserved slap-downs by Prof Shabir Madhi, an actual expert in vaccinology.
Noakes feels Banting assisted him in his battle with insulin resistance. Good for him. But he’s since championed the low carbohydrate-high fat (LCHF) diet for all of society, turning it into a religion and even using it in his anti-vaccine battle.
I think there is some value in Banting as a diet, but I’m not buying Noakes’s claptrap — you’ll find me firmly in the Madhi corner, masked, fully vaccinated, boosted and grateful to be so, just as I’m grateful to have received all the vaccinations I have over the years.
My late father told me about the polio outbreaks during his childhood that forced all kids to stay at home. He recalled an uncle of his who had survived smallpox but was left terribly scarred by the disease. I still remember the relief I felt at not having to experience the fear that society once did.
Noakes reminds me of the great scientist Linus Pauling, who won two Nobel prizes, one for chemistry and the other for peace. In his dotage he decided that Vitamin C was the ultimate weapon against the common cold and cancer, because he felt it had assisted him in battling a renal condition he had struggled with.
Many of Pauling’s claims were later disproved. The greatest of minds can make mistakes. Even Albert Einstein, having devised his revolutionary theories of relativity, came up short in the field of quantum physics. At least Einstein’s faulty views didn’t put the lives of ordinary people at risk, atomic bombs aside.
I don’t know where the science on diet will take us in the future, but I can’t see the world replacing vaccinations with Wagyu beef.
It is my opinion that Noakes has hurt his reputation irreparably.
As for Djokovic, who turns 35 in May (only Federer and Ken Rosewall have won grand slam titles at that age or older), he might become the most successful player of all time, but he’ll never be the greatest.
His lack of empathy ensures that.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.