Free Republic

Blessedly, the debate over the COVID vaccine has died off. The ‘Karens’ have retreated into their darkened lairs. The world has reopened. No one sane wears masks anymore. Only the weirdos and the Democrats continue to abide by the social distancing protocols that were ineffective. Yet, while these Fauci commandments were atrocious, the drama over the vaccine will never fade. We were lied to about the efficacy. The madness over the mandates turned some of the world’s best athletes into social pariahs, even barring them from competition. Aaron Rodgers was raked over the coals regarding the controversy concerning his vaccination...

The sports journalism community is mourning the sudden passing of Mike Dickson, a prominent figure in tennis reporting. Dickson, who was set to celebrate his 60th birthday on January 27, died suddenly while in Melbourne for the Australian Open. The news of his death was confirmed through a social media post by his wife and children. "We are devastated to announce that our wonderful husband and Dad, Mike, has collapsed and died while in Melbourne for the Aus Open," read the message shared via Dickson's X account. "For 38 years, he lived his dream covering sport all over the world....

Rafael Nadal's most recent Grand Slam win came at the French Open in 2022, and with Novak Djokovic having overtaken his mark for most major titles in men's tennis, the Spanish player conceded that his rival is the best player in history. Djokovic's recent win at the US Open, his third Grand Slam title this year, took his tally to 24 majors, two ahead of Nadal's total. "I believe that numbers are numbers and statistics are statistics. In that sense, I think he [Djokovic] has better numbers than mine and that is indisputable," Nadal said in an interview with AS...

Novak Djokovic has tied what has been considered one of the most unreachable records in tennis: Margaret Court's 24 Grand Slam wins. With his 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 win over Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic won his fourth US Open trophy and his 24th Grand Slam title overall. Djokovic looked strong early, taking advantage of some early nerves by Medvedev, who made three unforced errors and lost a point on a double fault to Djokovic in the first two games. Medvedev recovered in the third game, going up 30-0 before Djokovic stormed back and won four straight points to take the third game.

Halfway through a second set that lasted 1 hour, 44 minutes, a test of tenacity as much as talent amid a U.S. Open final as exhausting as it was exhilarating, Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev engaged each other in a 32-stroke point. It was among many such elongated exchanges between two men whose styles are nearly mirror images, and Djokovic capitulated on this one by netting a backhand. He fell to his back and stayed down, chest heaving. The crowd roared. Djokovic sat up but remained on the ground for a bit. The crowd roared more, appreciating the effort, saluting...

Topline Novak Djokovic has been warned by sporting authorities against making political statements at the French Open, the latest controversy for the Serbian tennis star after he weighed in on ethnic tensions between Serbia and Kosovo amid rising ethnic tensions in the region.

Ron DeSantis seems to be having a great time in his second term as governor of Florida. While the rest of us wait to hear if he’ll be running for president in 2024, DeSantis is racking up the wins and making Joe Biden look more foolish every day.Take the issue of tennis star Novak Djokovic, for instance. The Serbian has been making headlines for the past few years, not because of his prowess on the tennis court, but because of his steadfast refusal to get the COVID vaccine. This has adversely affected his career, with various countries refusing to let...

LOS ANGELES: Novak Djokovic has formally withdrawn from the draw for the Indian Wells tournament, organisers said on Sunday (Mar 5) in an indication that the world number one's application for a COVID-19 vaccine waiver to enter the US might have failed. The Serbian, who is one of the most high-profile athletes unvaccinated against the virus, applied to the US government last month for special permission to play at ATP Masters events at Indian Wells and Miami. "World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the 2023 BNP Paribas Open. With his withdrawal, Nikoloz Basilashvili moves into the field," organisers...

Novak Djokovic has just won an Australian Open in straight sets against a much younger man. His victory was the triumph of a strong, moral, Christian man after PC stupidity attacked him last year and his father this year. The Serbian people I saw watching his televised performance were enthralled. Families. All generations together. Having fun. God Bless Freedom.

A year ago today I made this post (in the link below the title above) about the disgraceful exclusion from the Australian Open of world number one tennis player at that time, Novak Djokovic, because he refused to surrender his bodily autonomy and get the "compulsory" vaccination. Forget the politicized over focus on the excesses of January 6, 2020, in Washington, but remember January 2022 in Melbourne, Australia if you want a better world. Seeing gorgeous, God-fearing Monica almost every day at the Free Nole protests (Nole is Novak's Serbian nickname) was one of the great pleasures of that time...

Top seed Novak Djokovic fended off an upset bid from World No. 64 Quentin Halys to win 7-6 (3) 7-6 (5) on Thursday at the Adelaide International 1 in Adelaide, Australia. Down 2-5 in the first set, Djokovic rattled off three straight wins to even the set, then won a pair of tiebreakers to advance to the quarterfinals. Halys, of France, fell to 0-12 against Top 30 opponents. Next up for Serbia's Djokovic will be No. 7 seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada, who defeated Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-3.

Novak Djokovic has arrived in Australia almost a year after he was deported over his stance against COVID-19 vaccination, Tennis Australia confirmed Wednesday. Djokovic will open his 2023 campaign in Adelaide as he prepares for a shot at a 10th Australian Open title. >snip< Djokovic missed the Grand Slam event last year because of his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Australia has since lifted strict rules for unvaccinated travelers. Immigration Minister Andrew Giles last month confirmed that Djokovic, who had been facing a possible three-year ban after being deported, has been granted a visa.

Former world number one Novak Djokovic arrived in Australia on Tuesday (Dec 27) almost one year after he was deported for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, tennis officials said. The nine-time Australian Open champion was initially banned from the country for three years after losing a high-stakes legal battle in January over his vaccine status. Australia has since lifted its requirement for visitors to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

Novak Djokovic claimed a record-equaling sixth ATP Finals title by beating the third-seeded Casper Ruud on Sunday to top a fantastic finish to the season for the Serb. Djokovic won 7-5, 6-3 to secure his first title at the event since 2015 and match Roger Federer's record. The 35-year-old Djokovic, who had lost his two previous finals at the event, raised his arms out and smiled broadly after sealing the match with an ace.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic is set to be granted a visa to play in next year’s Australian Open despite his high-profile deportation in January. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Tuesday said it had confirmed newspaper reports that the immigration minister had overturned a potential three-year exclusion period for Djokovic. The Australian Border Force has previously said an exclusion period could be waived in certain circumstances — and that each case would be assessed on its merits. ... The 21-time Grand Slam singles champion wasn’t allowed to defend his Australian Open title this year after a tumultuous 10-day legal saga...

Could the Biden administration all be some huge joke? A parody or some crazy dark comedy in which a career political hack with rapidly advancing dementia somehow becomes president and bumbles around as his radical handlers begin implementing a dizzying number of measures to weaken America and endanger Americans? Is there anything the Biden administration is doing that would make it clear that this is not actually what’s happening here? The latest appalling news to come from Biden’s handlers is that they are allowing illegal immigrants to board commercial planes using their arrest warrants as identification. No, they’re not then...

The White House sidestepped a question about why it continues to let untested and unvaccinated illegal immigrants into the United States while tennis star Novak Djokovic is not allowed to enter to play in this year's U.S. Open. Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy questioned the Biden administration about the paradox during Monday's news briefing. "How come migrants are allowed to come into this country unvaccinated, but world-class tennis players are not?" he asked White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. "The U.S. government cannot discuss the details of individual visa cases. Due to privacy reasons, the U.S. also does not comment...

Novak Djokovic, a 21-time Grand Slam champion, is being robbed of the opportunity to further his legacy in the world of tennis, simply because he isn’t vaccinated. He announced on Twitter yesterday that he would not be able to travel to the U.S. for the U.S. Open due to travel restrictions mandating vaccination for entering the country.Keeping Djokovic off the court more than 2 years after the pandemic’s inception makes absolutely zero sense, especially because, as I profiled in a piece just days ago, the CDC has now changed its guidelines regarding people who have been in contact with someone...

Novak Djokovic confirms he has been REFUSED entry to the United States and will not play in the US Open after CDC opted against changing their COVID entry rules in time for unvaxxed former champion to participate Novak Djokovic will not be traveling to New York for the upcoming US Open He's refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, making him ineligible for entry Unvaccinated foreign citizens can't go to Canada or the US currently Similarly, Djokovic recently missed tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati Novak Djokovic has announced he will not be traveling to New York for the upcoming US Open...

The U.S. Open begins next week, but the betting favorite on the men’s side, Number 1 ranked, Novak Djokovic, will likely be prevented from competing, barring a last-minute pivot by the player or the U.S. government. On April 21, the Department of Homeland Security extended “temporary Title 19 requirements” that mandate non-U.S. citizens entering the U.S. be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination upon request. “These requirements were extended in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and several other federal agencies,” DHS wrote in announcing the extension. “According to CDC, vaccines remain...