Tennis Anyone?

[James]

And yet Naomi Osaka gets fileted for withdrawing due to mental health issues due to the pressure of being an elite athlete. What I see here is a man falling to the same pressures and responding how society has taught men to respond. It's why we need more male athletes to speak up about mental health issues like Michael Phelps did.

I definitely believe that most people intend to do the right thing, but when they can't connect to their internal dialog because society has not taught them how to, they react irrationally or out of anger and frustration. They don't know how to become introspective and own their actions and take a step back and give themselves grace while understanding their behavior.

Seems Djokovic could use some mental health assistance. Either he's not listening to anyone, or he's getting bad advice from someone. In the Australian Open situation, it seems a series of poor decisions were made in an attempt to skirt the rules. I have little tolerance for that. Someone needs to do some ego work.

You’re missing a big piece of his background.

Djokovic is playing the, “everyone hates Serbians”, card, and you’re ganging up on our tiny country.
Given that, it’s likely he views giving up as a disgrace. So he’ll likely fight to the end unless someone convinces him it’s more noble to back out. Everyone around him seems to confirm the fighting viewpoint to him. In the family news conference they all mentioned Serbia, mistreatment of Serbia by big Australia, blah blah blah.

He did grow up during a time of brutal war. Serbians were a major part of that but it’s too complicated to go into. This is where the term “ethnic cleansing” re-entered into popular discourse.

NATO bombed Belgrade in 1999 for weeks and Djokovic was there as a 12 yr old hiding in a basement during air raids with others. He saw a lot of poverty and suffering as a child.

 

[AmyPJ]

You’re missing a big piece of his background.

Djokovic is playing the, “everyone hates Serbians”, card, and you’re ganging up on our tiny country.
Given that, it’s likely he views giving up as a disgrace. So he’ll likely fight to the end unless someone convinces him it’s more noble to back out. Everyone around him seems to confirm the fighting viewpoint to him. In the family news conference they all mentioned Serbia, mistreatment of Serbia by big Australia, blah blah blah.

He did grow up during a time of brutal war. Serbians were a major part of that but it’s too complicated to go into. This is where the term “ethnic cleansing” re-entered into popular discourse.

NATO bombed Belgrade in 1999 for weeks and Djokovic was there as a 12 yr old hiding in a basement during air raids with others. He saw a lot of poverty and suffering as a child.

So there is a huge mental health aspect of it. That kind of childhood trauma has life-lasting impacts.
Super interesting to know, but doesn't absolve the fact that there was some level of attempting to skirt the rules going on. Playing the small country victim card is disappointing. This is a public health issue...

 

[James]

So there is a huge mental health aspect of it. That kind of childhood trauma has life-lasting impacts.
Super interesting to know, but doesn't absolve the fact that there was some level of attempting to skirt the rules going on. Playing the small country victim card is disappointing. This is a public health issue...

I don’t disagree, but I’d call it a huge tribal/national aspect that can’t be overlooked. He wasn’t completely wrong about dislike of Serbians, for reasons stemming from the war. But at this point he’s a well paid star who started the Professional Tennis Players Association last year.

Don’t see how he squares that one.

 

[AmyPJ]

I don’t disagree, but I’d call it a huge tribal/national aspect that can’t be overlooked. He wasn’t completely wrong about dislike of Serbians, for reasons stemming from the war. But at this point he’s a well paid star who started the Professional Tennis Players Association last year.

Don’t see how he squares that one.

Life is certainly many shades of gray, isn’t it?
Sometimes, a person behaving like a d-bag just should know better.

The guy is just a phenomenal player. He maybe needs a new PR person…and therapy.

 

[crgildart]

His behavior the past year or two more and more suggests he believes he is above the rules and scrutiny others have to abide by. I don't care how good he is or what time/money he's put in to other noble sport of tennis causes... This overshadows all that and is terrible for the sport. He should be banned until he shows he cares about the sovereignty of other nations and health and safety of their citizens.. PERIOD!

 

[Wendy]

Life is certainly many shades of gray, isn’t it?
Sometimes, a person behaving like a d-bag just should know better.

The guy is just a phenomenal player. He maybe needs a new PR person…and therapy.

I think some of his behavior is due to family culture/pressure. It’s weird that he plays the victim card and acts like royalty all in the same breath. But yes, he needs a new handler!

 

[James]

Saturday is the big day. ( Fri evening in eastern US) Ruling by Sunday?

———————
…David O’Callaghan of the Federal Court of Australia. He will preside over a new hearing at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday.

Legal experts said Djokovic might have little chance of having the decision overturned, despite winning his first round in court earlier this week on narrow procedural grounds.

Mary Crock, a law professor at the University of Sydney, said it would be “very, very hard” for Djokovic to win any appeal. “The rules of natural justice and procedure don’t apply,” she said. So the only way he might succeed in an appeal would be to prove there is no public-interest basis on which the visa could have been canceled….
—————-

Novak Djokovic in Australia: Novak Djokovic’s Visa Is Canceled Again by Australia (Published 2022)

Djokovic’s lawyers said they would appeal the decision. The tennis star could be detained again on Saturday, with the Australian Open starting on Monday.

www.nytimes.com

 

[geepers]

France already said come play here. We'll wave all our rules for you since Australia won't That's a global politics decision, not tennis based.

Strange as it may seem, that would be a submarine based decision.

 

[James]

Would not surprise me if France changes it’s mind. Plus, since when does the “minister of sport” have a say on immigration? I suspect Macron was not happy, since he stated he wanted to “piss off” unvaccinated people by making things hard for them.

 

[geepers]

Would not surprise me if France changes it’s mind. Plus, since when does the “minister of sport” have a say on immigration? I suspect Macron was not happy, since he stated he wanted to “piss off” unvaccinated people by making things hard for them.

Suspect he wants to piss off our Prime Minister even more.

 

[geepers]

Just in case anyone is having trouble sleeping....

Could either watch the tennis or read this 268 page affidavit from ND's lawyers.

 

[James]

Hearing happening around now? Was it ine judge or three? The minister wanted one I think, more appeal leeway.

 

[scott43]

Hearing happening around now? Was it ine judge or three? The minister wanted one I think, more appeal leeway.

They're live updating it on the Guardian. Which I have to say is probably one of the most comical and asinine things I've ever seen...

 

[Andy Mink]

A little levity. Is there anything the Simpsons haven't covered?

 

[Wendy]

Novak’s problem is the people he’s surrounded himself with. Anyone has the right to believe what they want, but when they’ve got some woo-woo thinking combined with the power of celebrity and wealth, it’s a toxic stamp on personality development.

His father compared Novak to Jesus and Spartacus, for crying out loud.

I don’t see it as a “vacuum” in the Australian Open; it just makes each round more interesting now. And Medvevev had beaten Djokovic in the US Open last year, so it wasn’t like Novak was guaranteed to win. Other contenders are closing in. I just hope the commentary is light on Djokovic now as it’s a done deal.

 

[scott43]

some woo-woo thinking

Writing that one down..

 

[scott43]

I mean, it also shows just how starved we are for controversy and Covid anger.. It's TENNIS!!!! It's not like Russia invading Ukraine or something...

 

[Wendy]

Writing that one down..

It’s the only description I can think of that describes this quote from Novak:

“I know some people that, through energetical transformation, through the power of prayer, through the power of gratitude, they managed to turn the most toxic food, or maybe the most polluted water, into the most healing water, because the water reacts,” he said. “Scientists have proven that in experiment, that molecules in the water react to our emotions to what has been said.” (“The people of Flint, Michigan, would love to hear that news,” the tennis commentator Mary Carillo replied.)

From NY Times “Novak Djokovic, Master on the Court…” Jan 15 2022.

 

[Plai]

Novak Djokovic has left Australia after losing his final appeal to avoid deportation

A court dismissed the No. 1-ranked tennis player's challenge to cancel his visa. Djokovic, who hoped to play in the Australian Open despite being unvaccinated, said he was "extremely disappointed."

www.npr.org

 

[geepers]

It’s the only description I can think of that describes this quote from Novak:

“I know some people that, through energetical transformation, through the power of prayer, through the power of gratitude, they managed to turn the most toxic food, or maybe the most polluted water, into the most healing water, because the water reacts,” he said. “Scientists have proven that in experiment, that molecules in the water react to our emotions to what has been said.” (“The people of Flint, Michigan, would love to hear that news,” the tennis commentator Mary Carillo replied.)

From NY Times “Novak Djokovic, Master on the Court…” Jan 15 2022.

In the case of the Australia Open, ND was absolutely encouraged and enabled by Tennis Australia and especially its CEO who just would not take no for an answer in attempting to get the current world men's #1 seed to the event. That CEO was advised in writing by the Australian Federal Health Minister that a previous infection would not be grounds for a medical exemption but decided to keep trying.

So we ended up with a circus and probably undid all the good work of the last 2 decades in re-establishing the Australian Open as one of the grand slam majors. The only reason it is on that majors list is because enough people think it should be. There's nothing to say that status can't be withdrawn.

With respect to the quote above, perhaps the mistake is ours in giving too much weight to the comments of a person who is good at one particular activity. ND is a damn fine tennis player but what he thinks/says about transformation of water is probably best ignored. There are plenty of people who are far more influential in making public policy - 'cause they get voted in - who say the most batsh*t crazy stuff. Perhaps we should focus our attention on them.