There was a surprising defeat for Novak Djokovic in Dubai quarterfinals this week, but in many ways he came out the winner.
The prospect of the unvaccinated superstar may be brighter than it looks for the first time in a week in which he lost to world number 121 and lost first place in the rankings.
So much so that the current odds to equalize his profits Wimbledon this summer does not seem unjustified, although he was nowhere to be seen in last night’s final Andrey Rublev and its conqueror Jiri Veseli.
Novak Djokovic emerges victorious despite defeat in Dubai quarterfinals
Djokovic loses first place in rankings, but remains favorite for Wimbledon this summer
A positive response from what is always a neutral audience could be expected, but there were no signs of much hostility from other players, as was the case in Australia.
Perhaps there would be no tennis tour left if all participants took the same position as Djokovic, refusing to be vaccinated.
The fact that almost every other player has done this (sometimes very reluctantly) keeps the show on the road.
This understandably damaged his position among his colleagues and may have helped that there is virtually no locker room in Dubai, with players changing at the hotel, where everyone stays on the spot.
Djokovic’s position understandably damaged his position among his colleagues, but most are happy to deviate from what happened in Melbourne.
However, most players seemed pleased enough to continue what happened in Melbourne.
This will be a relief for Tennis Australia, which stubbornly keeps its head down, still not properly explaining its role in last month’s farce, desperate to get lost in the mists of time.
As one player said: “In the end, we are used to the best players being treated differently.
“If I have a problem, I have to contact the tour managers, if he is one of the elite, they or their agent always have a hotline to the tournament director, that’s right. And there is no doubt that the tour is better when top players play. ‘
It is also clear that Djokovic believes his vaccine stance could overtake and outlive the restrictions that everyone hopes will disappear with the arrival of spring.
In fact, while the 34-year-old Serb is unable to travel to US tournaments in March, you can now see his way to the French and Wimbledon Open.
Djokovic seems ready to compete in French and Wimbledon Open (pictured)
The first round of the French presidential election is being held on April 10, and before that a general easing of restrictions by Emmanuel Macron is expected.
This could open the April Monte Carlo Open (which is technically taking place in France) and Roland Garros for it. He is also guaranteed a place in the Serbian Open, which follows Monaco.
Until May, it is likely that at least one of the Open Championships in Madrid and Italy will allow him to play relatively unhindered.
The background is that ATP tournaments still desperately want their active names to be in the draw.
Proof of this is clear in the way Andy Murray, despite his ongoing struggles, has received substitutes whenever he wants one in the last eight months.
Andy Murray (pictured) has received replacement cards in the last eight months, indicating that tournaments will want big names like Djokovic
The same goes for Wimbledon and the upcoming grass events. There seems to be little chance that they will reject Djokovic, with the stipulation that attitudes may change if a dangerous new option becomes a threat.
Veseli – who had to face Andrei Rublev in the final in Dubai – illustrates that Djokovic really needs to play more regular matches.
This is more likely to come than detailed and candid answers about what happened around Christmas and his recent relationship with Tennis Australia.
In the final of the Mexican Open, which was to be played overnight between Cam Nori and Rafael Nadal, the British number one had a chance to enter the top ten in the world for the first time with a victory.
After a bad start to the season, Nori scored an impressive 6-4 6-4 victory in the semi-finals over world number four Stefanos Tsitsipas, his tenth win in eleven games. On slow hard courts, it is a significant force to consider.