Novak Djokovic didn鈥檛 do himself any favors by doubling down on his refusal to get inoculated against the COVID-19 virus. To recall, his unvaccinated status led to his deportation from Australia last month, costing him the opportunity to defend his Australian Open title and handing the provisional lead in number of career Grand Slam victories to rival Rafael Nadal. Yet, it鈥檚 clear from his wide-ranging interview with BBC last Tuesday that he believes he鈥檚 in the right to keep refusing the vaccine.
In light of the development, not a few quarters have seen fit to cite the strength of Djokovic鈥檚 conviction. In truth, there is nothing courageous about what he insists on. The overwhelming preponderance of scientific fact on the benefits of inoculation, plus the untold risks he places others in by remaining unvaccinated, place him on shaky ground. It doesn鈥檛 matter if he has expressed willingness to forego the chance to claim more major championships. He鈥檚 a global citizen; he doesn鈥檛 live in a bubble.
Why Djokovic insists on staying unvaccinated, only he knows. At best, he鈥檚 being disingenuous when he says he鈥檚 not part of the anti-vax movement, and yet refuses to get jabbed. He鈥檚 also being duplicitous when he claims to acknowledge the science behind vaccination, and yet doesn鈥檛 want to touch it with the proverbial 10-foot pole. It wouldn鈥檛 be a problem if his stubbornness is costing no one but him. Unfortunately, all and sundry are affected.
Make no mistake. Djokovic deserves to tap his talents on the court, and fans deserve to see him at his finest. He鈥檚 World Number One for a reason. That said, no one deserves to be placed at risk as a result of his decision. And because he鈥檚 a household name, his voice carries not inconsiderable weight. Imagine if he uses it to do good. Instead, he鈥檚 exercising his right to be wrong. Which is just too bad. Saying the world is flat with confidence isn鈥檛 valorous. It鈥檚 just plain stupid. Enough said.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
