Selfish or Strong-Willed
- Jane Lee
- Jan 29, 2022
- 2 min read
On January 6th, 2021, 18x Grand Slam tennis champion Novak Djokovic landed in Australia to participate in the Australian Open. However, he was detained for over eight hours at the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport after Australian officials canceled his visa. The Australian Border Force claims Djokovic’s failure to comply with local entry requirements, such as being vaccinated before entering the country was why he was detained.
After a weeklong battle, many people grappled with the question of whether Djokovic was a victim. Was he a man who couldn’t exercise his personal beliefs of being unvaccinated? Or was he a selfish individual who could have potentially endangered hundreds of people?
To simply put, Djokovic's decision to side-step rules and regulations that were placed to save lives was broken to pursue his self-interest. He's talent's can't excuse his reckless choices.
Whether Djokovic wants to get vaccinated is his personal choice, but the issue lies in part for his total disregard for regulations placed to protect lives. After admitting to making false claims in his travel documents, he never disclosed that he had visited multiple countries over the past two weeks or that he tested positive for Covid-19 in December. He then proceeded to blame the mistake as an “administrative error.” Djokovic's actions to put his career over public safety were issues that many people took personally.
Former top 30 tennis professional Joao Sousa spoke out against Djokovic’s actions, saying, “I respect that he fights for what he believes…but it’s a bit selfish of him to arrive here as the only player unvaccinated…He is finding a way around those rules,” said Sousa.
With a total disregard for public regulations placed to keep citizens safe, it jeopardizes the lives of millions. Djokovic uses his power and privilege as a millionaire and global celebrity to bypass necessary protocol, insulting the Australian people who tirelessly tried to keep death and infection rates low throughout the pandemic.
The selfish act of this one individual took government resources that could have been avoided if he had followed the Australian protocol and submitted the correct paperwork.
Instead, Djokovic’s lack of concern to submit the proper paperwork to enter a country without a two-week quarantine during a deadly pandemic demonstrates that his priorities are not beneficial for public health. With his power and status, Djokovic could be sending a message and highlighting the importance of community, but chooses to create chaos during these difficult times.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it best, “Rules are rules, especially when it comes to our borders."
This is a terrible example to set. Being a sports star means you are a role model to people of every age and demographic across the world! Trying to get around regulations by hoping your fame and clout will float you over covid restrictions in one of the most restricted countries in the world is not only stupid, but irresponsible. At worst, his actions undermine the authority of the entire country of Australia to foreign fans. Fans might think poorly of Australia for not giving him what he wanted, even though he was the one in the wrong. What a selfish act on many accounts.
It was wrong of Djokovic to put false information on his travel documents. I think he should have been punished for that action due to falsifying information, but I do not think he should face backlash for his choice to be vaccinated or not. Being unvaccinated, I think he should take whatever repercussions come with that, even if it means not being able to compete in certain tournaments like this one. Australia has been very cautious with their borders, so he should have respected what they are doing and own up to his own decision by not competing.
Regardless of Djokovic's personal views on the vaccine, his decision to make false claims about his COVID-19 history and enter a country with famously strict mandates shows his extreme privilege and status. Djokovic's behavior unnecessarily escalated the situation, and this was disrespectful to his fellow competitors and unfair to Australian citizens, who have had to abide by severe COVID-19 measures for years, including not being able to leave the country or travel between states.
The freedom to spread disease is a selfish one, loved by those who believe in freedom only for themselves. I'm more than happy to watch such people be publicly shamed and disallowed entry into venues like this one when the debate is so dead and done. There is little serious room for argument regarding the safety risks of the vaccine compared to the pandemic sweeping and mutating across the globalized world. To be willfully ignorant in the face of that evidence as a millionaire who globetrots between nations gives Djokovic no leg to stand on.
Completely agree. This is just another example of sports bringing larger political and social conversations to light. While it is unfortunate that Djokovic was putting the health of many people at risk, it is beneficial for this issue to be shared with the public. Especially when involving such a big name in tennis, this example highlights the vaccination debate and shows how important it is for this story to be shared so the public is deterred from following in Djokovic’s footsteps.