Ion Tiriac recently claimed that Novak Djokovic made a "fatal mistake" because of his vaccination stance against the coronavirus.
Novak Djokovic made the front page of the world news in January when he was deported from Australia after the Victorian government revoked his visa. He could not compete at the Australian Open.
The Serbian was not vaccinated for the deadly disease that has taken the lives of millions of people. He had intended to compete in the tournament in Melbourne with an exemption. But the fury of Australian citizens made Djokovic's stay upon arriving that of a nightmare.
In Djokovic's absence from the first Grand Slam of the season, Rafael Nadal stepped up and won his 21st Grand Slam. The Spaniard added his 22nd major at the French Open to pull clear in the greatest of all-time debate.
Djokovic is also unlikely to play at the US Open because he won't be allowed to enter the United States without a vaccination certificate, so he could lose ground in the Grand Slam title count.
And Tiriac, who recently spoke to Clay, opined that Djokovic is not as charismatic as the likes of Illie Nastase, John McEnroe, and Nadal and that his decision-making about the vaccination process has been a grave mistake on his part. However, the former tennis pro, now in his 80s, called Djokovic a great player and a hard worker.
“I think that Djokovic has made a fatal mistake, fatal with the issue of the vaccine. Fatal. For the image of him and all that, a pity, because he is a sensational player. He wants to be a personality, but he doesn’t have the charisma of Nastase, of McEnroe. So it’s a little more difficult. But without a doubt he is a great player and a hard worker. But he is not Nadal!”