‘The Australian Open Will Be A Great Australian Open With Or Without’ Novak Djokovic

As the will he or won’t he saga of Novak Djokovic drags on ahead of the start of the Australian Open on Monday, it’s clear that many of the other top tennis players in the world are tiring of the storyline.

Djokovic remained in pre-immigration detention as his case is debated in Australia’s Federal Court, but stars like Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka say the tournament will go on with or without the nine-time Australian Open champion and No. 1 seed.

“It’s very clear that Novak Djokovic is one of the best players of the history without a doubt but there is no one player in the history that is more important than an event,” said Nadal, the No. 6 seed, who, like Djokovic, is tied with Roger Federer at 20 career Grand Slam titles.

“So if he is playing finally, OK. If he is not playing, Australian Open will be a great Australian Open with or without him.”

The unvaccinated Djokovic has had his visa canceled twice and he was awaiting the verdict on a second appeal set for 9:30 a.m. Sunday in Australia (5:30 E.T.). If his appeal is rejected, he will be deported and banned from Australia for three years, a place where he has won nine of his 20 titles.

Players like Nadal, No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev and No. 3 Sascha Zverev would stand to benefit on the court from Djokovic’s absence.

If he is allowed to play, he is bound to face some booing and hissing from the crowd in a country where more than 90 percent of the population is vaccinated and which has endured more than 260 days of shutdowns.

Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka called the situation “unfortunate” and “sad.”

“I think it’s an unfortunate situation, like he’s such a great player and it’s kind of sad that some people might remember him in this way. But I also think it’s up not tennis players, it’s up to the government like how Australia is deciding to handle it.”

Other players have also chimed in, indicating they are tired of the ongoing saga overshadowing the tournament itself.

Former world No. 1 Andy Murray described the re-escalation of Djokovic’s visa saga as “not great for tennis, not great for the Australian Open and not great for Novak.”

“It’s unfortunate that it’s ended up in this sort of situation,” he added. “… [I] just want it to get resolved. I think it would be good for everyone if that was the case. It just seems like it’s dragged on for quite a long time now, and yeah, not great for the tennis, not great for the Australian Open, not great for Novak.”

Boris Becker, who coached Djokovic from 2013-16, said that “no tennis player is bigger than a tournament” but also told BBC Sport: “It is a political game he got involved in and that’s unfortunate.”