Tennis legend Novak Djokovic secured a straight set victory over Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the Australian Open on Friday, extending his winning streak at Melbourne Park to 31 consecutive matches. While Djokovic cruised to victory, he was forced to overcome a heckler who told him to “get vaccinated.”
As Djokovic prepared to serve for a match point, a fan in the crowd could be heard yelling “get vaccinated, mate!” The fan’s reaction was met with boos and murmurs from the crowd as Djokovic paused for a moment to regain his composure.
After a brief pause, the 10-time Australian Open championed served an ace to advance to the competition’s fourth round.
In 2022, Djokovic refused to submit to Australia’s stringent COVID-19 vaccination demands. He was initially granted an exemption to compete in the Australian Open before being informed that he was not allowed to compete upon arriving in the country. He was eventually deported from Australia by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.
Upon returning to the tournament in 2023, Djokovic dominated the field enroute to his 10th title.
The Serbian superstar discussed the incident during an interview with 60 Minutes last month.
“I was basically declared as a villain of the world,” Djokovic said. “I had, basically, most of the world against me. I had that kind of experience on the tennis court with crowds that were maybe not cheering me on. But I never had this particular experience before in my life.”
“I got the exemption, I got the permission to come into the country. So, of course, it escalated to the highest of highest levels globally,” he added.
Contrary to popular belief, Djokovic clarified he is not anti-vaccine but pro-freedom of choice. “It was not up to me to read anybody. I got the exemption; I got the permission to come into the country,” he asserted.
“I’m not anti-vax, no… I’m pro freedom to choose.”
As for the current tournament, Djokovic is set to take on France’s Adrian Mannarino on Saturday night for a match in which he is heavily favored.
