Novak Djokovic has attracted a lot of attention in the recent past, albeit for the wrong reasons. And it seems that his mistakes are finally catching up with him.
Nobody needs to be reminded of the saga that played out in Australia earlier this year. The Serbian, who was all set to partake in the season’s opening Grand Slam, had to face a lot of embarrassment.
In the wake of COVID-19 in Australia, only the vaccinated players participated in the Australian Open.
Due to his stand against vaccination, Djokovic was granted an exemption. He was allowed to participate in the tournament following a severe quarantine.
Everything was going fine, and it seemed that we would finally see him back on the court until things took a turn for the worse.
Due to the emergence of new evidence, Djokovic was detained by the government. According to this fresh evidence that Serbian had made a public appearance despite being in quarantine.
The court immediately overturned their decision in the government’s favor. As a result, Djokovic was not allowed to participate in the Australian Open.
Just like his Spanish counterpart, Djokovic was also en route to becoming the first man to win the 21st Grand Slam title. But he missed out on it altogether.
The final was played grandly between Nadal and Medvedev. The former emerged victorious in the final; the latter also gained some ATP points that put him right beside the Serbian great.
Novak Djokovic fails in Dubai
After a long wait, Novak Djokovic finally returned to the court in the Dubai Tennis Championship. It was his first appearance of the new year, and he was rearing to get going and win the title.
He had a great start to the tournament and easily reached the quarters. However, that was as far as he could manage to go in the tournament.
The 123 ranked Jiri Vesely brought his incredible run to a halt. The fact that Vesely defeated Djokovic in straight sets stunned the entire world.
Talking about the same in the post-interview, the Czech Republic player said, “I never thought I would really have a chance against Novak. He is one of the greatest of all times… It’s an amazing feeling.”
This was not the first time that Vesely has beaten Novak Djokovic. Back in 2016, he beat the Serbian on the clay of Monte Carlo and repeated the feat in 2022.
Djokovic’s fall allows Medvedev’s rise
This loss came at a great price for Novak as he lost the tournament and some crucial ATP points too.
This means that he has lost the title of world number one. He had spent a record number of weeks (361) at the spot, but it has finally gone away.
The Russian Daniil Medvedev is now the new world number one. The 26-year-old is the first player other than Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray to rise to the top in the past 18 years.
Maybe this is the dawn of the new era in Tennis. Considering how Medvedev plays, he has all the potential in the world to become one of the greatest of all times. But this is also an alarming sign for Djokovic.
The Serbian needs to be aware of how things are spinning out of his control. He needs to get hold of the condition and find a way to get back into the court.
His services were missed in the Australian Open. And as things stand, he wouldn’t be allowed to compete in Roland Garros or Wimbledon if he refuses to get vaccinated against the COVID-19.
