Pierre-Hugues Herbert was the other player who refused to be vaccinated before Novak Djokovic. The French player was the first to refuse to get vaccinated. He declared at the ATP Finals in Turin that he didn’t want to get vaccinated. He won the doubles with Nicolas Mahut, his compatriot.
Herbert and Djokovic’s paths were therefore different. The Frenchman was forced to cancel all tournaments outside Europe and received anti-Covid vaccine. The Serbian, however, was allowed to enter Australia but was turned down at the border.
He used the same approach for the States. He was enrolled in Indian Wells, Miami, and had to cancel his enrollment a few days before the first Masters 1000. He couldn’t get into the US. The path was different, with some choices, but the epilogue remained the same: Djokovic was unable to enter the US for the tournaments, while Herbert was able to play one.
The Frenchman has devoted himself to the Challengers. While the world number one made a debut in Dubai, he stopped in the quarterfinals. He then made a debut in Monte Carlo where he lost his first match.
“I know that I did not take the easy route out, just like Djokovic. This position is hard to maintain, and I paid the price again because I couldn’t go to America. We have suffered a lot from this season’s beginning.
energies,” Herbert told We Love Tennis.
Annacone looks at Nole Djokovic
Paul Annacone, a Tennis Channel host, also discussed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s surprise victory over Novak Djokovic in the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Annacone stated that he wants to return in a place where he can see his progress. “He was trying survival today, this battle of attrition was for the guys to see who could manage the situation.”
You must give the 22-year old a lot of credit. Every time Novak would sneak back in, I would take one deep breath and say, “Oh, here comes a great player, it’s time for the young man to go.” Annacone said that Novak did a great job in the big moments.
“Particularly, the third set started with a down break point in game one, and was held. Then, it ran away with it. It was quite impressive.
