by Harper Doheny
If you are a tennis fan/player you’ll know that the Australian Open has been going on for about two weeks now, the kickoff to the tennis season. On the men’s side, Novak Djokovic (ranked four in the tournament, fifth in the world) ultimately beat Stefanos Tsisitpas (ranked third in the tournament, fourth in the world) with the final scores of 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) .
However, there is much debate about the rankings because of Novak’s “break” last year. At the start of the season last year, Djokovic did not get the COVID-19 vaccine. Because of vaccine mandates, Djokovic was not allowed to enter Australia to play in the Open nor many of the other Major/Grand Slam Tournaments. Because COVID-19 was no longer seen by many as a global crisis, he was allowed to enter Australia this year. Over that time, his ranking went down from number one to five in the world. Some would argue for his side, that an athlete who doesn’t want to put something in their body that could hurt them, should not have to. Others would argue that it was a law to have a vaccine before coming into the country from other places, the laws were meant to protect others, and are happy for countries turning Novak away. Both sides have valid points. What is your opinion?
If you are looking for more information on popular tennis pros, there is a Netflix series called Break Point. It’s about all the training, work, and struggles they go through to be the best they can be! So if you are looking for updates on tennis make sure to turn on the Tennis Channel!