the times | Wednesday February 16 2022 3
times2
What is clear is that Djokovic’s
stance on vaccines is wholly different
from that of some footballers. From
the latter you get the sense that the
reluctance to have the Covid jab is
because of some combination of
unease, lethargy and the view that
they are not at high risk from the
disease. For the Serb, though, it is
more existential. This is someone
whose world view is shaped by the
idea that the body is imbued with
cosmic energy and that natural
treatments are always preferable to
man-made ones.
Indeed, this may have been the nub
of his falling-out with Andre Agassi,
who coached Djokovic in 2018. The
American saw MRI scans of
Djokovic’s injured wrist and realised
that he would need surgery. Djokovic,
though, rejected Agassi’s advice,
preferring months of natural remedies
while trusting in the body’s capacity
for self-healing. Only when it became
clear that herbal tea wasn’t going to
cut it did Djokovic reluctantly agree to
an operation, crying for three days
afterwards. Agassi later cited this as a
key reason for their split.
And while it may sound paradoxical,
I would suggest that Djokovic’s new-
age fundamentalism has had a positive
impact on his tennis. You only have to
look at him competing under pressure
to see how his belief in higher forces
provides him with preternatural
composure. I will never forget the
calmness with which he walked to the
deuce side of the court against Roger
Federer in the Wimbledon final of
2019 before saving two match points
with exquisite shot-making. As the
Serb told me, “Life is about drawing
upon bigger forces.”
Indeed, such sentiments have been
expressed by many top performers,
not least Muhammad Ali, who said:
“How can I lose when I have Allah
on my side?” Jonathan Edwards, the
triple jumper, took a tin of sardines
in his kit bag into the stadium forthat a diagnosis of gluten intolerance
was confirmed by a “kinesiological
arm test” where he held a piece of
bread against his stomach with his left
hand while a diet guru pressed down
on his right arm — apparently the
proximity of the bread made his right
arm weaker.
When I expressed some scepticism
about this technique, Djokovic
instantly cited a book called Power vs
Force: The Hidden Determinants of
Human Behaviour by a man called
David R Hawkins, who I later
discovered is an “internationally
renowned spiritual teacher,
psychiatrist, physician, researcher,
lecturer and developer of the widely
known Map of Consciousness®”.
“You really must read it,” Djokovic
said, earnest as ever. “Always keep an
open mind.”
And this, in many ways, is the Serb
all over — someone who is never
afraid to offer an opinion based on
diligent reading but whose home
library is filled with rather a lot of
quackery. You may remember that
Jelena, 35, shared a social media post
near the beginning of the pandemic
suggesting that 5G telecommunication
masts were responsible for the spread
of Covid. She later insisted that
she was merely seeking to become
better informed, but it is not as if we
haven’t heard surreal theories from
the couple before.
In his book Serve to Win Djokovic
openly talks about his favourite party
trick. “Get someone in the room to put
their right arm out and their left arm
on their belly and test their strength.
Then have them hold a cell phone
against their stomach and test them
again. The radiation from the cell
phone causes the body to react
negatively and weakens the arm’s
resistance, just as a food you’re
intolerant to will. It is an eye-opening
revelation — and will make you think
twice about carrying your cell phone
in your pants pocket.”
Ego is the
biggest
enemy, but
peace of
mind only
happens
when you
know
yourself
‘I was never against
vaccination, but.. .’
What the 20-time
grand-slam winner said
On why he hasn’t had the vaccine
“For me as an elite professional athlete
I’ve always carefully reviewed,
assessed everything that comes in,
from the supplements, food, the water
that I drink, or sports drinks. Anything
really that comes into my body as a
fuel that I can benefit from. Based on
all the information that I got, I decided
not to take the vaccine as of today.”On why he’s prepared to miss
Wimbledon and the French Open
“The principles of decision-making on
my body are more important than
any title or anything else. I am trying
to be in tune with my body as much as
I possibly can.”On antivaxers
“I have never said that I am part of
that movement... it’s really
unfortunate that there has been this
kind of misconception and wrong
conclusion that has been made around
the world.”On his “convenient” positive PCR
test before the Australian Open
“I take this very seriously. I really
don’t like someone thinking I’ve
misused something or in my own
favour in order to get a positive PCR
test to go to Australia. As you’ve
mentioned, I’ve had Covid twice, the
second time was asymptomatic, the
first time was about a year, a year and
a half ago, and I had symptoms and it
wasn’t easy, you know.”On whether he might change his
mind about the vaccine
“I keep my mind open. There is
always a possibility that things will
change in the future.”the 2000 Olympics in Sydney — the
canned fish symbolised the feeding of
the five thousand and, by implication,
Edwards’s Christian faith. “I took
comfort from the idea that my fate
was in God’s hands,” he said. “It
liberated me to compete without fear.”
For a long time Djokovic’s
idiosyncratic theology affected
nobody except himself. If he wants
to believe that stretching before
breakfast channels the karma of the
universe, that’s his business.
And as he points out — not
unreasonably — the methods have
worked rather well during the second
half of his career, when he morphed
from fragile teenager to a sporting
colossus. At his best he is close to
unbeatable, and has amassed positive
head-to-head records against all his
main rivals.
The difference with his stance on
vaccines, however, is that it exerts a
wider influence. This is not merely
about viral transmission but the fact
that he has, albeit unintentionally,
become a focal point for the global
antivax movement. The Australian
government persuaded a federal court
to deport Djokovic not because he
hadn’t had the jab (two independent
panels cleared him to compete) but
because his presence was, they argued,
a threat to public health.
I suspect that many, me included,
will wholeheartedly agree with
Djokovic that nobody should be forced
to have a Covid vaccine against their
will so long as they are willing to
accept the consequences of their
decision. Judging by the BBC
interview, Djokovic is more than ready
to accept that, in addition to the
Australian Open last month, he could
miss the French and US Opens —
something that could prove fatal to
his ambition of retiring with the
record for the most grand-slam titles.
If nothing else, this reveals the power
of his conviction. In his own mind, at
least, he is a 21st-century martyr.CAMERON SPENCER; JOE MAHER/GETTY IMAGESNovak Djokovic at the
Australian Open last
year. Above: arriving
in Budva, Montenegro,
to be declared an
honorary citizen last
month. Right: with his
wife, Jelena