DUBAI: World number one Novak Djokovic said on Thursday he has missed playing tennis as he prepares for his comeback in Dubai after the coronavirus vaccine row that kept him from defending his Australian Open title.
The Serb, who was deported from Australia over his vaccination status, toured the Serbian pavilion at Dubai Expo, removing his black mask when requested and writing a message in the visitors’ book.
The 20-time Grand Slam-winner, who will play the ATP Dubai tournament next week, has kept a low profile since his deportation from Australia last month over his refusal to get jabbed.
“I am excited to go back and play on Monday,” he told media at Expo. “I miss tennis after all that has happened.”
Spanish rival Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open to become the first man to win 21 major titles, one ahead of Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Djokovic, a nine-time winner in Melbourne, had looked poised to grab the record before Australian officials refused to recognize his medical exemption to play, and deported him.
The legal tussle made headlines around the world as government efforts to bring coronavirus under control collide with the anti-vax movement.
This week, Djokovic told the BBC he was not anti-vaccination but that he was prepared to miss more major tournaments rather than take the coronavirus inoculation.
“Yes, that is the price that I’m willing to pay,” he said.
“I was prepared not to go to Australia. I understand not being vaccinated today, I am unable to travel to most of the tournaments at the moment,” Djokovic added.
Djokovic will play his first match of the season in Dubai, where he is a five-time winner. The event also features Britain’s Andy Murray, who has three major titles to his name.
A coronavirus vaccine is not a requirement to enter the United Arab Emirates, which announced 895 new cases on Thursday.
His path to playing at the French Open and Wimbledon has appeared to clear in recent days after Britain relaxed Covid entry rules and France also signalled an easing of restrictions.
The most problematic tournament for Djokovic at the moment is the US Open, where a vaccination certificate is required.
There are also two high-profile tournaments coming up in the US — Indian Wells from March 7 to 20, where he is on the entry list, and the Miami Open from March 21 to April 3.
Indian Wells organizers said vaccinations will be required for the event, but added that player protocols for Djokovic and other men’s players will be decided by the ATP in line with US restrictions.
Djokovic told the BBC he was “sad and disappointed” about the row in Australia. But he insisted his health comes above making history.
“The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else,” he said.
“I was never against vaccination,” added Djokovic, who said he had received vaccines as a child. “But I’ve always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body.”
Djokovic eager for Dubai comeback after vaccine controversy
https://arab.news/v6254
Djokovic eager for Dubai comeback after vaccine controversy
- Djokovic toured the Serbian pavilion at Dubai Expo, removing his black mask when requested and writing a message in the visitors' book
- "I am excited to go back and play on Monday," he told media at Expo
India and Pakistan set for World Cup blockbuster as boycott averted
- With bilateral cricket a casualty of their relations, emotions run high whenever the neighbors meet in multi-team events
- For Pakistan, opener Sahibzada Farhan has looked in fine form but Babar Azam’s strike rate continues to polarize opinion
India and Pakistan will clash in the Twenty20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday, still feeling the aftershocks of a tumultuous fortnight in which Pakistan’s boycott threat — later reversed — nearly blew a hole in the tournament’s marquee fixture.
With bilateral cricket a casualty of their fraught relations, emotions run high whenever the bitter neighbors lock horns in multi-team events at neutral venues.
India’s strained relations with another neighbor, Bangladesh, have further tangled the geopolitics around the World Cup.
When Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 20-team field for refusing to tour India over safety concerns, the regional chessboard shifted.
Pakistan decided to boycott the Group A contest against India in solidarity with Bangladesh, jeopardizing a lucrative fixture that sits at the intersection of sport, commerce, and geopolitics.
Faced with the prospect of losing millions of dollars in evaporating advertising revenue, the broadcasters panicked. The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) held hectic behind-the-scenes parleys and eventually brokered a compromise to salvage the tournament’s most sought-after contest.
Strictly on cricketing merit, however, the rivalry has been one-sided.
Defending champions India have a 7-1 record against Pakistan in the tournament’s history and they underlined that dominance at last year’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
India beat Pakistan three times in that single event, including a stormy final marred by provocative gestures and snubbed handshakes.
Former India captain Rohit Sharma does not believe in the “favorites” tag, especially when the arch-rivals clash.
“It’s such a funny game,” Rohit, who led India to the title in the T20 World Cup two years ago, recently said.
“You can’t just go and think that it’s a two-point victory for us. You just have to play good cricket on that particular day to achieve those points.”
INDIA’S EDGE
Both teams have opened their World Cup campaigns with back-to-back wins, yet India still appear to hold a clear edge.
Opener Abhishek Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy currently top the batting and bowling rankings respectively.
Abhishek is doubtful for the Pakistan match though as he continues to recover from a stomach infection that kept him out of their first two matches.
Ishan Kishan has reinvented himself as a top-order linchpin, skipper Suryakumar Yadav has regained form, while Rinku Singh has settled into the finisher’s role in India’s explosive lineup.
Mystery spinner Chakravarthy and the ever-crafty Jasprit Bumrah anchor the spin and pace units, while Hardik Pandya’s all-round spark is pivotal.
For Pakistan, opener Sahibzada Farhan has looked in fine form but Babar Azam’s strike rate continues to polarize opinion.
Captain Salman Agha will bank on spin-bowling all-rounder Saim Ayub, but the potential trump card is off-spinner Usman Tariq, whose slinging, side-arm action has intrigued opponents and fans alike.
