Novak Djokovic’s decision not to get vaccinated ended up costing him dearly last month, as he was deported from Australia ahead of his 2021 title defense at Melbourne Park. The Serb might not be able to defend his title at Roland Garros this year either, since vaccination against COVID-19 has been deemed mandatory by French authorities.

Having said that, the World No. 1 is likely to play at this year’s Wimbledon. It was recently reported that the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which organizes the Grasscourt Slam every year, will be following Great Britain’s travel guidelines - which do allow unvaccinated people to enter the country.

These new developments, however, did not sit well with the English media. Simon Briggs of the Telegraph wrote in his column earlier this week that Djokovic “might not find much love” at Wimbledon this year, given his vaccine hesitancy. Tennis veteran Paul McNamee, however, didn’t agree with Briggs, as he believes the Serb deserves a “standing ovation” to herald his title defense this year.

McNamee added that while some skepticism is expected from the tennis universe when it comes to Djokovic’s participation at SW'19, those who “respect the game” and “see how he was prepared to give up his place in history” will most probably root for him.

He also lauded the Serb for “standing by his principles” despite his views having been negatively received by most of the tennis community.

For what it’s worth, it’s justifiable for McNamee to have been miffed by the Telegraph journalist’s assertions. The journalist went as far as to claim in his article that the Serb could possibly be jeered by the Center Court crowd for his stance on vaccination.

Novak Djokovic all set to make return to competitive tennis at Dubai Tennis Championships 2022

Novak Djokovic will make his long-awaited return to action at the 2022 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships later this week. The ATP 500 tournament will mark the Serb’s first appearance on the ATP tour since the Davis Cup Finals last year.

Djokovic is a five-time titlist in Dubai and will be joined by the likes of Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger-Aliassime at the hardcourt event.

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