Roller coaster of emotions

Loyalties have torn tennis fans apart on the eve of the US Open. As raucous New York readies to rock and roll from Monday, with the US Open beginning at the Flushing Meadows, emotions are high.

First things first. Novak Djokovic, who may have been expecting a miracle of sorts from the authorities in the United States of America — vaccine exemption — has been stranded at the net. Novak knew this was coming since the time he won Wimbledon.

Call it stubborn or call it adamant, his refusal to take the vaccines just cannot be accepted. The world has seen massive upheavals, loss of lives, millions being put on ventilators, so many dying in the last 30 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It would have been a great gesture for Novak to take the vaccines and motivate millions around the world to follow suit.

Not only has the Serbian shown that he is recalcitrant, he has also proved many right that he remains unmoved over the need for jabs. For those who think the US Open will be robbed of its sheen as the Wimbledon champion will not be seen in action, be sure there is nobody bigger than the sport. After all, Wimbledon had no ranking points due to the ban on Russian and Ukrainian players, and it still roared!

Tennis has seen icons come and go. Tennis has seen each era throw up a different champion, loved and liked. All of them — from Rod Laver to Margaret Court, Pete Sampras to Steffi Graf, and Roger Federer to Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams — are icons. They enjoy a deified status because of what they gave to the sport, with grace and humility.

Novak is a super champion, no doubting that. Where he has let down fans the world over, and that too in a large number, is by being inert to requests to take the jab. Not only has he dodged answers on the vaccine, for whatever reasons, he has also failed to learn a lesson from the nightmares of Melbourne where his visa was cancelled. To have been deported on the eve of the Australian Open was awful.

It showed Novak in poor light and it also exposed Australia as a nation for granting Novak a visa when he had not taken the jabs. The common man in India and abroad has taken at least two jabs. The more responsible folks have taken three jabs in India. In the United States of America, people who care about their health and society at large have taken even four jabs. That is a sign of being healthy.

For its part, the Biden Administration is very clear on rules for foreigners. If you want to enter the US, come vaccinated and produce the certificates. If not, please stay away from the US. If Novak and his core team were hoping that politicians in the US would make out a special case for the tennis hero, and grant him a vaccine exemption, it was foolish. The Republicans versus Democrats debate on the vaccine is not for foreigners. That's something which American citizens can debate on.

Novak's absence or, to be more precise, not being allowed into the US is a good message to the sports fraternity. Do not take chances and do not set the wrong example. For those who talk of how and why Wimbledon allowed Novak to enter, that has been the policy of Britain where masks were thrown into the dustbin long ago. However, players were still being tested for the virus during The Championships.

Considering that Novak is now hot on the heels of all-time great Rafael Nadal — the owner of 22 titles — it would have been prudent for the Serbian to be eligible to play at the US Open. Momentum is with Novak and his fitness is superb. Perhaps, he had got an inkling that he would not be allowed into the US Open and decided to stay away from the warm-up tournaments.

To be sure, 2022 has been Rafael Nadal's year. For someone who is battling injuries, aches and trauma daily, it's a tribute to his passion and perseverance, he won two big Grand Slam titles this year. He has never been a hot favourite at the Australian Open but went on to win the title.

At the French Open, where Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic early, it was proof the Spaniard has that fire burning him, despite a slew of fitness issues. The breakdown at Wimbledon was awful. His body was battered and bruised. From foot trauma, which was treated with nerve blocker injections after the French Open, to rib cage damage and then a tear in his abdomen, he had gone through a medical crisis of the highest order.

That he had to concede his semi-final match at Wimbledon to Nick Kyrgios was painful. It's altogether another matter, even a 60 per cent fit Nadal would have destroyed the mentally fragile Kyrgios. After all, in the Wimbledon final, Kyrgios was behaving like a nut-case against Novak.

The focus does shift back to Nadal. He has nowadays made it a habit of being calm before the Majors. He knows the fitness issues can surface any time. Yet, it is his dream and desire to play his best despite the health issues. After all, modern day sport is very hard on each athlete.

Nadal knows the US Open is waiting to give him huge support, more so in the absence of Novak and Roger Federer — whose career is as good as over. Yet, given the shockers which the US Open throws up, Nadal will be wary of the path. Winning a Grand Slam means seven matches in a row.

For New Yorkers, watching the diva of tennis — Serena Williams — for one last time on the courts will be hugely emotional. She is saying goodbye after featuring in an illustrious career where she played bold and beautiful tennis. She showed what it takes to be a champion. That she struggled in the Majors over the last few years does not take away any credit from her exploits. After all, the winner of 23 Grand Slam titles has been unlucky not to have equalled Margaret Court's record of 24.

That's sport, unpredictable, where despite best efforts you fail to produce the winning shots in crunch matches. Serena came close to winning a Grand Slam after 2017 a few times but there was something which was curbing her flair and feel. Whether it was pressure or fitness, only she can answer. Her last wave to fans in New York will break billions of hearts.

Serena is the diva, and she showed that despite coming from a very difficult background, she could break barriers. Her family stood with her like a rock where the roles played by her parents and sister Venus were outstanding. Serena leaves behind a legacy which few can match. In today's world of women's tennis, longevity is lacking and players are finding it much harder to sustain.

The way Ash Barty retired in a hurry, and then took to golf, says so many things. For sure, the pressure was killing and to be at the best was not easy. We have seen how Naomi Osaka is struggling and Gen Next is lacking in design and desire to match Serena Williams.

For tennis fans of Sania Mirza, her absence in New York due to an injury in her elbow is bad news. This was meant to be her last Grand Slam. Since Sania has left a cryptic post on her Insta, she may well spring a surprise.

Will she rethink and play a Grand Slam in 2023? The first thing should be to focus on her recovery and fitness, then work on her strength all over again. Her form and fluency in 2022 made for great viewing. Surely, Sania deserves to give billions of her fans a few more great moments.

After all, her success story in Grand Slams began at the Australian Open many years ago. She would do well to play Down Under in 2023.

Views expressed are personal