Novak’s Greatness Goes Beyond Being the GOAT—Will He Be Recognized for It?

How many Grand Slams will Novak Djokovic eventually win? 25? 30?

Chrissie Evert—who should know, since she has won seven French Opens and six U.S. Opens—said it best on Twitter: “Over the past 50 years, I’ve seen and studied every champion in tennis. I have never seen anyone like Novak Djokovic. The combination of mental, physical, and emotional strength that goes into every shot is unmatched. Time to really appreciate this man.”

Sorry, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fans, we love you, and your favorites are also great, but everyone knows who the GOAT (greatest of all time) is now, not just in tennis, but arguably in all sports.

Yet there’s an even more important reason to “really appreciate this man,” even if you aren’t a sports or tennis fan.

He did this while refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccines and losing his chance to play at multiple events at the highest levels of his sport.

He stood up for all of us against Big Pharma and government-dictated health care with its more than uncomfortable whiff of totalitarianism.

You could say his success—the record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam many said could never be achieved and the even more staggering 388 weeks as No. 1 in the world in tennis that seems certain to go way over an untouchable 400—was even more amazing, given that he battled not just his many on-court opponents but major politicians, scientists, bureaucrats and most of the media, sports and otherwise, across the globe.

In the process, he was unable to play at the Australian Open (and was summarily ejected from the country), the U.S. Open, and, on more than one occasion, the hard court Masters 1000 tournaments in the United States—at all of which he would have been the favorite.

Who knows how many trophies and acclaim he forewent? He also lost sponsors (Seiko, Peugeot, Uniqlo) who didn’t want to be associated with a man who would do such a thing. He would be anathema for standing up for himself.

Now, only a short time later, he has been vindicated, and not only on the court, but, more importantly, medically.

The wearing of masks (Cochrane report) and especially vaccine mandates (Swiss rejection) are under increasing attack from many quarters and are seen to have been monumental mistakes, particularly for those who, like Djokovic, are under the age of 50. Many athletes have encountered cardiac issues.

I need not go into the details of this on The Epoch Times, which has been one of the leaders in exposing this global shame.

Djokovic is quite intelligent—many of the greatest athletes are—speaks several languages fluently, and certainly had educated himself on the subject before he refused the COVID vaccines. It wasn’t just a casual New Age stunt. He says he isn’t entirely anti-vax.

The media, notably the sports media, also won’t acknowledge the courage of what Djokovic has done. The most influential of those—the highly woke ESPN—is in many ways the worst. That network now admits, somewhat reluctantly, Novak’s greatness in tennis, but refers to his anti-vax stance as if it were an aberration excused only by his athletic abilities.

Not a word that he might have been, of all things, right.

This approach is generally followed by all. Mum’s the word on whether Djokovic was actually right about COVID. You would think when he’s such an athletic marvel at 36, they would consider it. It can’t all be about his gluten-free diet.

I suspect, deep down, many of the other players in multiple sports also are wondering. Some of the other greatest of all time—Tom Brady in football and Kylian Mbappe in soccer—were seated in the stands watching Novak when he broke the Grand Slam record. All sing his praises as an athlete. Who among them will do the same for his COVID stance? It would be a service.

First published in the Epoch Times.

Roger L. Simon’s 14th book—“American Refugees”—will be published by Encounter in September.