John McEnroe and Chris Fowler Get Awkward During Broadcast Over Novak Djokovic’s Vaccine Status

Novak Djokovic was awarded the 10th Australian Open title. During his celebrations, things got a bit wild. Uncomfortable in the broadcast booth Between Chris Fowler and John McEnroe

Djokovic was deported from Australia just one year prior to this, after he refused to receive a COVID vaccination.

This was only one of the many adversities that the Serbian tennis star had to face in 2022. Former tennis star and current broadcaster John McEnroe was bringing those moments up after Djokovic’s win, only for Fowler to come flying in with a conversational yield sign.

It could be a long ride back to their Melbourne hotel that they’re staying at.

“He got defaulted in the Open when he hit the linesperson by mistake, he gets deported out of Australia, doesn’t get any points at Wimbledon, can’t play the Open…” McEnroe added.

That’s when consummate broadcaster Chris Fowler McEnroe was being steamrolled at the time he was building.

“The product of his choices, to be fair,” Fowler replied. “He made choices that led to that; some of those things.”

McEnroe responded that Djokovic should’ve been allowed to play last year in Australia and at the U.S. Open.

Y’know, the way most people whose minds haven’t been eaten away by COVID fears and obsession see it.

Fowler — it appears — is not one of those people.

“Okay, well that’s a debate. He did make choices that led to that,” Fowler said. “But that’s forgotten for the moment.”

Fowler Made It Weird When He Could’ve Just Been Quiet

Yes, Djokovic made a choice. However, even after mountains of evidence have emerged supporting the idea that Djokovic should’ve been allowed to play — especially since every vaccinated player in attendance was just as at risk as an unvaccinated player would’ve been — isn’t unreasonable.

He made a decision, but others made a different choice.

As it stands, Djokovic is expected to miss two more tournaments — Indian Wells and the Miami Open — thanks to the federal government’s ban on unvaccinated non-nationals.

Hey, at least Indian Wells isn’t too far from the southern border. You don’t need to be vaccinated to enter the country that way. Djokovic offers several options.

Fowler may have not wanted to rock the boat in that moment, but he also could have said nothing. Whatever the reason, Fowler felt the need for “correct” McEnroe. However, McEnroe did not do anything. “correct” The broadcast was similar to Jack Torrance’s. “correct” His family.

Nope. Instead, he piped up, made things very uncomfortable, and tried to hush McEnroe and his correct point that Djokovic’s win came after a year’s worth of being villainized by the media.

It’s clear that Djokovic was far from the villain, and the real villains in that scenario are running low on excuses.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle