Yesterday, the BBC published an exclusive interview with Djokovic in which Djokovic said he would rather miss out on a future championship trophy than be forced to get vaccinated against COVID-19. If he misses matches such as the French Open because of this it is "the price I am willing to pay".
Djokovic also admitted that the conditions in which he was detained before the Australian Open were "very difficult". He didn't speak in the media at the time and although he wanted to, he wanted to respect the legal process and the Australian Open.
Djokovic also said he hoped that vaccination requirements for some events would change and that he would "be able to play for many more years." But he also confessed that he was willing to give up the chance to become the greatest tennis player of all time, saying, "Being responsible for my body is more important than any title or anything else."
Of course, Djokovic still stressed: "I have never opposed vaccination, but I have always supported the freedom to choose what enters my body."
Some time ago, there was news that this year's three Grand Slams were likely to need to be vaccinated to compete, and whether Djokovic would be vaccinated has become a concern. I was still wondering, if Djokovic finally chose to be vaccinated because he wanted to play in other Grand Slams, what was his persistence and humiliation at the Australian Open? But now Djokovic has given his answer.
When we try to understand Djokovic's insistence with empathy, it is not incomprehensible. Djokovic said he "has always been a good student in health and nutrition" and that his decision was influenced in part by a number of positive factors, such as the impact of changing diet and sleep patterns on his physical abilities as an athlete.
Djokovic has always been a man of "naturalism" in health, and has benefited greatly from it, with a strong resistance to unnatural artificial means, and I can even imagine that he will also reject genetically modified foods.
However, although Djokovic has repeatedly stressed that he is not against vaccines, he is so firmly resistant to his own vaccination against the new crown that he will involuntarily be regarded by the public as a fighter and leader against vaccines. Previously, the discussion about Djokovic's political ambitions has been ongoing, so will Djokovic be able to become a leader after retiring? From this incident, we seem to see a very important trait of Djokovic.
The famous French social psychologist Bonler had a very profound insight into "leaders" in his famous book "The Ragtag Crowd" at the end of the 19th century. Usually we think of the perfect leader as wise, rational, and thoughtful, but in fact those leaders with fanatical die-hard believers tend to be extremely paranoid, but at the same time have a strong belief in their beliefs.
In this cruel world, each of us is lonely and fragile at heart, and what we need most is someone who can give us faith instead of the so-called rational, neutral, and objective, which is why many people hate "reasonable guests".
"Their strong faith makes their words extremely persuasive. All sentient beings are always willing to listen to strong-willed people. People who gather in groups will completely lose their will and instinctively turn to a person who has qualities that they do not have. ”
At the same time, although Djokovic may not have actively spread anti-vaccine claims, he has formed a leader-like effect because he has "taken a stand" again and again.
The first is the assertion: "Making concise and forceful assertions is one of the surest ways to get an idea into the minds of the masses." The simpler and clearer an assertion is, and the poorer the evidence and proofs look, the more powerful it becomes. Religious books and codes of all ages always resort to simple assertions"
The second is repetition," Napoleon once said that there is only one extremely important rhetorical method, and that is repetition. What is asserted takes root in the mind through repetition, and in this way it is eventually accepted as a confirmed truth. ”
When Djokovic repeatedly emphasized his own ideas and beliefs, his perception among the masses became more and more symbolic, and even djokovic's humiliation and sacrifice for it took on a strong religious color.
His strong beliefs do affect the masses to some extent and are contagious. I have even found that many people who follow djokovic's incident because of tennis have some kind of shift or even questioning in their attitude toward vaccines because of their beliefs.
From this point of view, Djokovic is quite a leader, and the fame and legendary experience he has gained from his success in the tennis world have further consolidated his leadership capital. In this regard, he has far more potential for politics than Federer and Nadal.