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Mail bag
There has been a lot of questions and chatter on social media surrounding Novak Djokovic and his status at the US Open. Let’s avoid litigation over the Covid protocol, its logic and bad logic. Let’s avoid the semantic discussion of anti-vax and pro-choice and anti-science. Resist the easy game of making it a referendum on Djokovic versus the USTA, as John McEnroe — who of all people should know better — seems to have done. Just a few factual notes:
1) Denying entry to unvaccinated non-citizens is not a USTA policy, much less a policy aimed specifically at Djokovic. It’s federal government policy that the USTA has chosen to follow without flinching.
2) We’ve already gotten a good example of what chaos and nobody looks good can happen when a tennis tournament goes up against the government. You can hardly blame the USTA for avoiding the Australian Open fiasco. The USTA basically said, “Whatever you tell us, we’re not going to fight it.”
3) Read the policies and there are exceptions for unvaccinated stateless persons. A professional tennis player—even the best—doesn’t seem to fit these categories, prima facie. Additionally, the USTA has specifically said it will not seek a waiver or exemption for any player.
4) Praise Djokovic on this point: he is aware of politics, he has made a decision; is prepared to face the consequences; does not lobby for special treatment. Comparing Djokovic to Muhammad Ali he makes a menacingly awful hot shot. But it should be noted that Djokovic will not make himself a martyr. His fans do it on his behalf.
5) Does it make sense that Djokovic could play in 2020 and 2021 and not 2022? Or that an unvaccinated Tennys Sandgren can play while Djokovic can’t? On the face, no. But inconsistency is a way of life. Especially in a pandemic when goals and dates are moving.
6) It is the end of July. Policy can change. Djokovic’s attitude may change. Both are unlikely. To introduce a great sports cliché, it is. The policy—again, government policy, not USTA policy—is X. Djokovic’s position is Y. The consequence is Z.
That’s how it goes.
7) I don’t remember a player (athlete?) as polarizing and magnetizing as Djokovic. We can all agree that this is a remarkable fact pattern. Here is a generational great player, on the threshold of history, 35 years old. And he could miss two Majors this year, not because of injury or illness, but because of a voluntary decision. Some of you will say, “If only he had received one vaccination that billions of people around the world have received – not because they necessarily wanted to, but because there was a collective responsibility – and we wouldn’t be here.” Others will say, “Good for him, that he sticks to his convictions”. Can we all pause and simply wonder who saw this with all the permutations and combinations we have included in the GOAT race?
[Osaka] she literally just dropped her coach… just like Plíšková did earlier this month. Where was the reasoning for that?!
@saraelisgarvey
• So last week I had two sources tell me that Osaka suddenly parted ways with her team, overhauled her organization, including bringing her father back into the fold; and generally reassessing her place in the sport and what tennis means to her. Coach Wim Fissette was quick to confirm the split on Instagram. I was able to confirm that coach Daniel Pohl, relatively new to the business, has also parted ways with Osaka.
I tweeted so much. And the responses came fast and furious and generally fragmented. 1) The media sucks. 2) What about… Pliskova and Sinner and Halepova etc. 3) Leave her alone.
Go to Continue
Let’s really bomb it. We are all sensitive to Osaka, its challenges, its unique personality. However, this must be balanced with news judgment and independent reporting. Here’s a player who has won four Majors since 2018; who earns tens of millions of dollars in addition to prize money; which — especially after the sudden departure of the former No. 1 — has a big role to play in women’s tennis because the WTA Tour is all about landing a nine-figure private equity deal. She has not won a single match in the last 90 days. But she split from her previous management group; entered the management game herself; signed the controversial player – a Wimbledon finalist who is also accused of domestic violence – and has now parted ways with her team.
It’s hard to say objectively that it’s not interesting. It’s hard to make an objective argument that it should go unnoticed. It’s hard to objectively prove that her admirable admission of frailty should trump the news coverage. And “what about that” falls flat, as it often does. Karolína Plíšková is not a four-time major winner. Jannik Sinner does not make $60 million in extrajudicial income. And all manner of pixels, press and airtime WERE devoted to the Sinner debacle, Simona Halep’s strange recent personnel moves, etc.
Bigger point: jay-vee or varsity? Independent reporting—not fan sites, not curated social networks, not self-serving press releases—is a sign of bravery, not weakness. A top player missing events because of his refusal to get vaccinated? Kyrgios accused of domestic violence? A legend who missed out on a historic event because the tournament doesn’t provide her with a fleet? These are not pleasant stories. It may not reflect well on the player you support. But they are relevant. Failure to recognize them may protect the individual in the short term, but harm the sport.
jon
If the Laver Cup ever deviates from the silly Europe vs. World, it’s this year and here’s how. (It’s my imagination, so I’m assuming everyone below participates.)
Team Old (or Team Rehab or Team Aches ‘n’ Pains or whatever you want to call it)
Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer
Andy Murray
Stan Wawrinka
Marin Cilic
Substitute: Dominic Thiem
Captain: Juan Martin Del Potro (sorry Bjorn Borg, you were a legendary player but you brought nothing to this event)
Team New
Six of the best players you can get from anywhere in the world, preferably under 30 (or even 25). Assuming the Russians are not allowed to play in London, the team could look like this:
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Carlos Alcaraz
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Jannik Sinner
Taylor Fritz
Matteo Berrettini
Replaced by: Hubert Hurkacz
Captain: Nick Kyrgios (yes, that’s right) (thanks for your service, McEnroe brothers, but you’ve never won and were skunked 14-1 last time; if this is a real competition, it’s costing you a job)
Wouldn’t that be interesting, with all the star power and generational clash? And wouldn’t Team New have a real chance despite a 72-0 disadvantage in the majors?
Srikanth
• The Laver Cup has all kinds of features to recommend. This is a pure positive (pardon the pun) and should be applauded. But it can also be improved. At a time when there is one American in the top 12 — a nice guy, but one with two career titles — we need a new dimension by which to divide the teams.
And here’s the answer: we need a dodgeball-style draft. In addition to equity, it is value. (Who would you rather have, Zverev or Tsitsipas? How much stock are you putting in Jack Sock doubles? It’ll be even more strategic if we do the right thing and add women. Done! Next!
Hi Jon
I wonder how players/journalists/historians feel about the prestige of each major? The winner always says “this major is the one I always dreamed of winning when I was a kid” but I take it with a grain of salt. For example, in golf, the PGA Championship was always relegated to 4th place in terms of prestige and The Open Championship was 3rd, similar to the Australian Open, players were not always willing to travel long distances. In my humble opinion, I think Wimbledon should be #3 because the average person doesn’t play on grass, Australia #4 because a lot of pros skipped it back then, France #2, US Open #1.
Regards,
Eric Bukzin, Manorville, Long Island
• Great question. And I would say that this is the true virtue of tennis: the four majors are vastly different, but there is no obvious hierarchy. For years, the Australian Open held a distant, consensus fourth place. The Ringo of Majors, if you will. But Tennis Australia deserves a lot of credit for catching up. Each major has many advantages and several disadvantages. Dirty and dirty miniatures, I’d say:
4) Australia: represents rested, optimistic players on a democratic surface. Pleasant atmosphere. Beautiful, easy city. Downside: In the long run, the curse of this event is climate change. More immediate: the fact that it takes place in a remote setting for most of the world might take away some of the publicity, if not the prestige.
3) Roland Garros: A famous event in a famous city. Downside: clay is not everyone’s choice of surface. And it is the smallest place of the four.
2) Wimbledon: history, prestige, tradition…grass, a surface that so few people play on.
1) US Open: The sheer scale. And the late-summer hard court tournament (usually offering more prize money than any other major) is as much a testament to resilience as it is to tennis. The downside: the chaos (and traffic) isn’t for everyone.
But again, I don’t think there is an obvious weak link or an obviously superior major. Different tastes and different priorities. I’m not sure that kind of natural parity exists in other sports.
Jon, simple question:
Is there a better doubles player on planet earth than Jack Sock?
Gregory S., Sag Harbor
• No it is not.
Gunshots
Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios earned a wild card into the 2022 Western & Southern Open where he finished runner-up in 2017. It will mark Kyrgios’ sixth appearance in Cincinnati and first since 2019.
New Balance and rising tennis superstar, Coco Gauff, have officially announced their first signature sneaker with the brand. The New Balance Coco CG1 is a ’90s-inspired mid-range silhouette built with the brand’s most innovative performance technology in a timeless design that transcends sport and fashion. The current world No. 11 debuted the CG1 Pompey colorway last night at the Atlanta Tennis Open.
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