Alessandro Diamanti and Claudio Marchisio have criticised Nole Djokovic after the tennis star received a medical exemption from having the COVID vaccine.
The world’s No. 1-ranked male tennis player is a vaccination sceptic and is believed not to have taken the jab before the tennis season’s first major in Australia.
According to the rules for the Australian Open, all participants must be vaccinated against COVID, but Djokovic, the men’s tournament’s defending champion, managed to receive a medical exemption.
“I’ve spent fantastic quality time with my loved ones over the break and today I’m heading Down Under with an exemption permission. Let’s go 2022,” the 34-year-old wrote on Instagram, causing to all sorts of reactions on social media.
Among them, those of Claudio Marchisio and Alessandro Diamanti. The latter is currently living in Australia and playing for Western United FC.
“Mandatory vaccines, closed borders even for double jabbed, Green Pass…then, the tennis champion arrives and receives the medical exemption without the vaccine,” the former Livorno and Bologna striker wrote on Instagram, as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Marchisio was also not impressed by the Serbian tennis star and took to social media to express his disappointment.
“Being one of the strongest players of all time has privileges but carries with it great responsibilities,” said the former Juventus and Italy midfielder.
Essere uno dei giocatori più forti di tutti i tempi ha dei privilegi, ma porta con sè grandi responsabilità#AustralianOpen pic.twitter.com/hI2NRMrZMO
— Claudio Marchisio (@ClaMarchisio8) January 4, 2022
Yawn to these two. Good on Novak. This thing has been a farce from start to finish – an athlete like Djokovic has got a greater chance of being killed by a falling piano being played by a monkey than dying from covid so why the hell should he have to inject himself with a vaccine, the trial data from which big pharma wants 55 years to release to the public domain? Even Fauci is now saying that herd immunity is the solution.
@Louis . Absolute truth mate, Well done Djoko. However the mods here don’t like the truth so your post will be removed in..3…2…
Take the vaccine or go home!!
It’s not a dig at Novak, it’s a dig at the Australian authorities. AUS & NZ have been widely praised for their strict border control, prompt lockdowns and clear stance on vaccination status.. but all of a sudden someone turns up unvaccinated that could impact the country financially and there’s an exemption. Vaccination is a choice, absolutely, but comes with unquantifiable consequences. If you don’t WANT to be vaccinated then you should be exempt from democratic privileges like freedom of travel, for example.
To both Louis & Dan, the issue is not whether he will die from Covid but the fact that he is an anti-Vaxer and is now using a medical exemption to enter the country, which there are only four reasons why. This is a slap in the face to people in Victoria, myself included, who have suffered under the longest lockdowns of any place, not to mention all the expats who haven’t been able to return home for the last two years because of border closures. So for Novak to now be allowed to come and play, is an absolute joke. Maybe that’s why he’s called the Joker?!!!
I’ve always loved and followed Nole throughout his career. Fantastic person and player, but this is ridiculous and insulting to so many people on so many different levels. He should not be permitted to enter the country let alone take part in that tournament, no matter who he is.
Australia have the most strict set of laws in the world, I’m astounded that they would let this slide.
Anti-vaxers are literally so incredibly dumb if hurts my brain. They cannot offer a single piece of peer reviewed evidence to show why they have their stance. And Djokovic will very well be fine but he shouldn’t be exempt unless he has a genuine medical reason, otherwise he should stay away!
Louis & Dan – enough of the far-right conspiracy theories (e.g. lies). Getting the vaccine is taking responsibility for yourself and others, not getting it is akin to drink-driving so stop spreading misinformation. Are either of you scientists who are qualified to talk about this?
No, i thought not.
Another proof djokovic is not even close to Federer and Nadal. Trophy count is one think, being a moron and a clown is another.
Australia making light of its own rules. Exceptions for the rich apparently. Completely agree with the points made by Marchisio and Diamanti.
These inoculations are very poor at preventing someone from catching the virus and transmitting it (the data and anecdotal evidence is clear), so any criticism of Djokovic actually makes no sense whatsoever.
If you don’t like the guy, that is fine. But please find something else to nail him for!
One more thing for those praising Nole (who I love as a sportsman and character). It’s not about him and it’s not about you – that line of thinking is incredibly selfish. The current variant seems thankfully more mild. But those who have chosen to not be vaccinated are the ones who have been pouring gasoline on the raging fire all this time. They have been accelerating the spread of the virus which has needlessly put the lives of many vulnerable people at risk. Look at how many people around the world have either died or been hospitalized during this pandemic, which has also put healthcare workers and systems under unbelievable pressure. How would you feel about anti-Vaxxers if you were an overworked nurse watching people die from this disease every day?
Unvaccinated people made a choice to prioritize their own personal liberties over the health and well-being of the more vulnerable in society. They don’t deserve the same privileges as those who choose to protect those around them, never mind special exemptions.
Those of you criticising Djokovic seem to be tacitly endorsing the horrendous restrictions places on Australians.
Unless of course you believe that he should have stayed away to make a statement against these draconian measures?
That is why in my state our beloved Big Ron has done an amazing job. We have protected the elderly, have the oldest population in the country, believe in common sense, hand washing and early stage therapeutics. We are not NYC (highest cases in the world) with the harshest measures and yet our population is larger. The rules for thee not for me people want to have you in lockdowns forever but the moment they come down to FL they wear no masks and yet come to the most open state in the country.
As for the Aussies, I love the people and been many times to that country. It is unrecognisable and for anyone living in Victoria, you only have yourselves to blame. You keep voting in these politicians and you keep getting what you paid for, so do not complain. That is also what happens when you give up your arms and can only protest with posters.
Can understand the annoyance shown towards Djokovic. But they should really be more annoyed by their governance.
I wonder how much these two contributed to Italian hospitals during the Covid crises in 2020? Novak gave 1 million! You two are a joke!
@ Milan Fan, @ Brett @ a @ MJ and other. He`s not close to Nadal and Federer ? who cares? GOAT is judge by their numbers not on how you treat your wife at home?
And taking Vaccine is taking responsibility? your responsiblity is your business so take it. If your Vaccine is really working and protecting you why are you so worried about someone who dont want to be jabbed?
He didnt use medical exemption or create one, they gave it to him, so if you have any problem with that, talk to the authority.
People are double jabbed with booster and still getting the virus not one and not even twice so what is the point?
If you believe Vaccine is your solution then go get it, if any refuse to get then its not your business, even been number 1 tennis star his responsibility is for his family.
I like how these radical lefties like to call people out for just having an educated opinion. Sad but not surprising that these millennials still get their news from twatter and the mainstream media.
There solution is to move onto having all athletes compete in face masks and nasa space suits regardless of the 40 deree celcius heat at this time in Melbourne.
Strange that they still do not know that vaccinated people can still get and spread the virus as omicron is breaking through those vaccines.
@ Ralph
Have you ever thought about doing a quick search regarding your stupid questions rather than posting it everywhere? I mean, you’re not the first moron who thought about those questions.
The vaccines aren’t 100% effective, but they ARE effective, and it’s been proved scientifically. The more unvaccinated people there are, the more opportunity for germs and viruses to live and spread. So outbreaks are that much more difficult to control and more people – vaccinated or not – are in danger. The point is to control the outbreaks and protect the most vulnerable people as best as we can.
I’m not even worried about me, and you shouldn’t be about yourself, that’s not the point you selfish fool. The sick and elderly are the most at risk in every community, which people like you shamelessly have no regard for. You probably won’t die, they probably will if they catch it.
Anyway, by all means, don’t take the vaccine, but there must be and there will be consequences. You can’t expect to be treated the same and enjoy the freedom of vaccinated people if you’re choosing otherwise, whether you’re Djokovic or not.
I meant to @Milan fan, not Ralph. My bad.
@ Mikey
Let’s say you’re right, since you’re a know-it-all kind of person. Last time I checked, 20% is still more than zero. They cut corners because it was/is an emergency and people were/are dying, it’s a known fact. Unvaccinated does not mean infected, it means a better host for the virus to live in, so more chances of infection.
The way I see it, and the way the world actually works, is to to trust people in their professions. If you board a plane, you will trust the pilot and the engineers to get you to the destination, even though they might make a mistake and the plane crashes and kills you, you still do. You put your life in their hands. If you get sick, you’ll go to the doctor and take the medicine he’ll give you. If you’re really paranoid maybe you’ll see three doctors and do what two of them tell you. You trust them with your life and health. This is the same. I can make claims only in my own field of study, so I won’t meddle in things that I don’t have the education for. Reading a few papers won’t make anybody a scientist. It’s the process and the countless hours they put in. So if the scientists tell me the world is round not flat, I’ll take their word for it. If they tell me the Big Bang and evolution is why we’re here, I’ll accept that until proven otherwise. And if they tell me to get that freaking vaccine, I sure as hell will do it. They might make a mistake, but I’m not qualified to question it based on my non-education and paranoia. I’ll trust their best guess, and I do it to protect the others. That’s the meaning of living in a society, and unless you decide to go live in the jungle alone, brain-washed people like me expect you very very clever ones to follow the same rules.