Novak Djokovic’s win at the 2023 Australian Open was not only seen as significant in the context of the history of tennis, but also symbolic for bigger global reasons.
Djokovic’s 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) final-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas earned him a record-extending 10th men’s singles title at the Australian Open and men’s record-tying 22nd major singles title, equaling him with Rafael Nadal. The title also came one year after being deported from Australia, and not being able to play at Melbourne Park, due to his stance against taking a COVID-19 vaccine. This also prevented him from playing at the 2022 U.S. Open. His 2023 Australian Open victory, to some, symbolizes a victory over freedom, non-conformity and individuality. On the No. 1 rated morning cable television show “Fox and Friends” in the United States, hosts Will Cain, Pete Hegseth and Rachel Campos-Duffy discussed why they think the Djokovic victory has deeper meaning.
“I think this is more than just a victory for Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open,” said Cain, a former sports personality on ESPN. “We know what we now missed one year ago. We missed watching one of the greatest tennis players of all time win yet another major. I can’t guarantee that the winner of the 2022 Australian Open would’ve been Novak Djokovic, but you got a pretty good indication here when you see him win in 2023. But it’s more than that….We have missed not just great tennis, we’ve missed a year of education for our children. We’ve lost jobs, we’ve lost our economy, all under the dictatorial tyranny of an absolutely arbitrary mandate. But this is not just a victory for him. It’s a victory for dignity, individuality, freedom, non-compliance, non-conformity, not giving into public pressure. Yeah, it’s a victory for Novak Djokovic, but it’s a victory for individuality.”
Added Campos-Duffy, a former MTV personality, of Djokovic, “This guy has principle. He stood by his ground. He came back, he won. He was willing to risk that in order to do what’s right. There are millions of people in our military, teachers, nurses, doctors, everyday Americans, including myself, who just said, “I’m going to do what’s right for me. I believe in health liberty. I believe in autonomy over my own body.”
Hegseth pointed out many members of the American military, teachers, doctors, police officers, nurses and many others who were forced out of their jobs and livelihood and dreams for their refusal to adhere to the vaccine mandate. Said Hegseth, “Anyone who faced a mandate, when he’s fist pumping and overcoming it that way, he represents what maybe they didn’t get a chance to.”
After this commentary, Fox News then cued to an exchange between Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy and President Joe Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean Pierre from last August leading into the U.S. Open, when Djokovic was prevented from entering the country based on his vaccine status, while hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants are freely crossing the U.S. border from Mexico without having their vaccine status checked. As excerpted below.
Peter Doocy:
How come migrants are allowed to come into this country unvaccinated, but world class tennis players are not?
Karine Jean Pierre:
You’re talking about which world class tennis player?
Peter Doocy:
Novak Djokovic. How are they two different things? Somebody unvaccinated comes over on a plane, you say that’s not okay. Somebody walks into Texas or Arizona unvaccinated, they’re allowed to stay? Why?
Karine Jean Pierre:
But that’s not how it works. We actually … No.
Peter Doocy:
We know that that’s not what you guys want to happen, but that is what is happening.
Karine Jean Pierre:
It’s not like somebody walks over and … That’s not how-
Peter Doocy:
That’s exactly what’s happening.
