These first months of 2022 have been a bit of a twist. Novak Djokovic’s choice not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus turned the tables on the table after the Serb prevented him from defending the title at the Australian Open.
The 34-year-old Belgrade, who had to leave the country in the midst of a thousand controversies, saw the triumph of his eternal rival Rafael Nadal in Melbourne Park from home. The Spaniard thus took over Roger Federer and Djokovic in the All-Time Ranking of the Majors.
Nole made his season debut on the tough courts in Dubai, but could not go over to the quarterfinals (defeated in two sets by Jiri Vesely). Strict US regulations have also forced ‘jokers’ to waive the Masters 1000 at Indian Wells and Miami.
Novak’s forced absence has made it easier for Nadal, still unbeaten this year, to reach the semifinals at Indian Wells. The Manacor veteran will now face his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the most anticipated match of the entire week.
Guest on the last edition of ‘The Joe Pump Show’ podcast, Patrick Mouratoglou recalls the 2019 Australian Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Mouratoglou praises Djokovic
“I remember thinking to myself, but I do not remember who I was with, but I turned to this guy and said, ‘Oh my God, Novak Djokovic will destroy Nadal.’
You could feel it. And it’s here. Only here. Nothing negative about Rafa who is also an incredible champion. But just to say that the day that Novak mentally brought to justice was from another planet “- said Patrick Mouratoglou.
Nole will have a hard time playing the tournaments that are held in countries that have a mandatory vaccination mandate. But with the current trend of the virus, many nations are removing the restriction. At a recent press conference, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo revealed that with the current rules followed in France, there should be no issue about Djokovic’s participation.
The press conference of the organizers of the French Open was held to address the new developments in the 2022 edition. “As things stand, nothing stands in the way of Djokovic’s participation at Roland-Garros,” said tournament director Amélie Mauresmo, a former coach of Andy Murray.
The president of the federation, Gilles Moretton, however, issued a warning. To say that the pandemic is not over yet, and the virus is also very active. He said: “There is still a virus circulating and we have to be careful.
“If things happened again and the government took new measures, we would not be excluded from these measures,” he said.
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