London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

The Australian Open will be anything but ‘great’ now that it’s shorn of its biggest star

The Australian Open will be anything but ‘great’ now that it’s shorn of its biggest star

A dark cloud hovers over the Australian Open following the government's successful scapegoating of its most dominant player
Despite declarations to the contrary from the likes of Rafael Nadal and Aussie PM Scott Morrison, an asterisk will be permanently affixed to an Australian Open scrambling for legitimacy after the blacklisting of Novak Djokovic.

If ever there was a pyrrhic victory, this was it. After nearly two weeks of drama and political squabbling bordering on a fully-fledged international incident, the Australian government finally got their man.

As these words are written, the world's top ranked tennis player is 30,000 feet in the air. Each passing minute delivers him further and further away from an arena he has lit up through a prolonged decade of dominance rarely witnessed in the context of professional sports.

Twice Djokovic had his visa revoked, with Sunday morning's Federal Court decision delivering an air of finality and forcing the Serb and his legal team into begrudging acceptance after the legal (and political) red-tape he had become entangled in finally proved too much to overcome.

And to what end? The victory claimed by Morrison and his Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke comes at the expense not just of Djokovic but tennis fans as a whole, and delivers a crushing blow to the legitimacy of a Grand Slam already seen by most as the little brother of the other 'big three' events.

Morrison's victory speech, which might as well have been delivered with a Churchill-esque 'V' sign, told us that "it's now time to get on with the Australian Open and get back to enjoying tennis over the summer" – but this is a statement which entirely omits the reason why many of us watch events like this: to see the world's best players duel on the sport's biggest stages.

Instead, we were given a crash-course in political theater from a politician eager to display populist urges in an election year.

Morrison's stance was influenced, of course, by the wider public in Australia, with polling showing that more than 70 percent of Australians wanted Djokovic kicked out of the country, but one also wonders how much of this was a reaction to almost two years of harsh restrictions being forced down their throats, even as Covid-19 cases soar across the country.

If we can't have it, no-one can. Lockdowns must be justified.

And what of Nadal? The Spaniard, who is currently tied with Djokovic and Roger Federer atop the list of all-time Grand Slam wins with 20, has hit good form at an opportune time and will no doubt be quietly confident of his chances to claim the top spot (the other man in contention, Roger Federer, is injured). But speaking to the media this weekend, Nadal couldn't help but offer a more PR-trained response to the drama.

"It's very clear that Novak Djokovic is one of the best players in history, without a doubt. But there is no one player in history that's more important than an event," he opined.

"The Australian Open is much more important than any player. If he's playing finally, OK. If he's not playing, the Australian Open will be a great Australian Open with or without him."

Will it, though? If there has ever been one player to disprove the age-old maxim that no one individual is bigger than the sport, it is Djokovic – at least as it relates to an Australian Open he has only failed to win four times since 2008.

More telling was the reaction of Russia's Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic's absence means that the world number two will by default be bumped up to the position of top seed, and he argued this weekend that if Djokovic had been given a medical exemption he should have been allowed to play, questioning whether there was a "real legal reason behind this".

The overwhelming feeling which remains is that Djokovic was treated as a scapegoat; an example of the political power which can be wielded should someone dare contradict government advice when it comes to vaccinations.

The official judgement hinted at language which stated that a root of the issue was for the official government policy to not appear to endorse any type of anti-vaccination sentiment whatsoever – something which strikes at the very heart of personal responsibility and freedom of choice.

Sure, Djokovic could likely have handled the situation better and questions as to his visa application are valid but from the moment it appeared that Morrison's government could make an example of him, the conclusion to the saga was inevitable.

That conclusion, though, benefits no one. Not Novak Djokovic, not the Australian Open and not the eventual victor who will raise aloft the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup amid an unescapable veil of political scapegoating.

And all that remains is for Morrison to claim victory in a scenario where there are no winners.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×