Djokovic absence at Indian Wells; no shot in the arm
Novak Djokovic did it honorably this time. No headlines or deadlines. No warnings or need for deportation.
Just crushed hopes and disappointment for fans and sponsors — and no less important for a group so tied to the sport, The Tennis Channel.
Djokovic, tops in the world, is not going to play in the BNP Paribas tournament, which begins this week at Indian Wells in the California desert.
No major announcement. No minor one either. Only a paragraph that Djokovic has withdrawn and would be replaced by Nikoloz Basilashvili.
As if Basilashvili, while excellent, was a not quite satisfactory substitute for the world’s No. 1. As if anyone else would be.
Djokovic is not afraid of Daniil Medvedev, who defeated him a few days ago in the final in Dubai. Or anyone else in the draw.
He’s afraid of receiving a vaccination for COVID-19, which understandably remains a requirement for foreigners, such as Djokovic, a Serbian, to enter the United States.
A year ago Australia had the restriction, and after arriving there for the Australian Open and languishing in a holding area finally was sent out of the country. This year he was allowed back and — you decide whether it was poetic justice or great forehands, won the event for a 10th time — his 22nd Grand Slam.
Tennis and golf are dependent on individuals. It’s the stars who fill the seats and boost the TV ratings; the people with their names on the marquee for the fame they earned.
Djokovic has won Indian Wells as almost everything else he’s played everywhere on the globe. It’s a game without borders. He was a welcome entrant along with aces such as Roger Federer, now retired, and Rafael Nadal, now injured.
Before the pandemic.
The argument is if a person chooses not to be vaccinated, well it’s his or her life and the only person affected is the one who refuses.
Except a tennis player, like other athletes, is both a possible carrier of the disease and of course a symbol.
Questioned about a stand that too many appears as dangerous as it is perplexing — did Rafa or Roger refuse? — Djokovic a year ago spoke to the BBC.
“I was never against vaccinations,” he had insisted, saying he had been vaccinated as a child. “But I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.”
As others have the freedom to choose whether they want to pay attention to Djokovic.
The difficulty is if you care about tennis, about any sport for that matter, because they’re so interconnected, in relationship, in judgment, it’s hard not to care.
Our lives are engulfed in Television — yes ESPN, Fox, NBC Tennis Channel, The Golf Channel, seems linked. The moment Steph Curry leaves a court in Boston, there’s Novak Djokovic stepping onto a court somewhere except anywhere in the U.S., including Indian Wells.
Which is too bad for the tournament and the sport.