COMICSANDS
percolately
georgetakei
secondnexus
george's picks
Most Read
Employee's Hilariously Brief Resignation Letter To Their Boss Is An Instant Classic
visa
Fans Livid After Novak Djokovic's Dad Compares His Son's Treatment To Jesus' Crucifixion
Tennis champ Novak Djokovic has already run afoul of many of his fans' tempers for his refusal to get vaccinated in advance of the Australian Open—and doing so with such adamance the issue has ended up before an Australian judge.
But now the athlete's father is taking things to a whole new level of absurdity—comparing the consequences of Djokovic's refusal to adhere to basic public health protections to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Yes, he actually said this, straight-faced, without irony, during a recent press conference.
Djokovic's father Srdan in a press conference earlier today: "Jesus was crucified on the cross, and everything was done to him, but he is alive among us even now. Now Novak is being crucified, they are doing everything to him."— Gaspar Ribeiro Lan\u00e7a (@Gaspar Ribeiro Lan\u00e7a) 1641479538
Novak Djokovic and the Australian government have been locked in a row after the country's Border Force denied the tennis star's medical exemption visa, which would have allowed him to skirt the Australian state of Victoria's COVID-19 vaccination requirements, just days before the Australian Open was set to begin.
The Border Force determined that his Victoria exemption in Victoria did not meet the requirements of the country's federal government, and he has been detained since his arrival in Melbourne on January 5.
For a tennis player, especially one ranked #1 in the world like Djokovic, this is potentially catastrophic as the Australian Open, which began Sunday, is one of the four yearly all-important Grand Slam tennis tournaments held each year.
Of course, one could argue that Djokovic has no one to blame for this but himself: He could have just gotten vaccinated like everyone else was required to do.
But that wasn't relevant to Djokovic's father, Srdan, who told the assembled press that his son not being permitted to make his own rules in a foreign country during a deadly pandemic was right up there with Jesus Christ being tortured to death via crucifixion by the Roman state.
Or as Srdan Djokovic put it:
“Jesus was crucified and endured many things but is still alive among us. Novak is also crucified... the best sportsman and man in the world. He will endure.”
Again, we reiterate: All he had to do was get vaccinated. But okay! Srdan Djokovic then went on to next compare his son to the legendary Roman gladiator Spartacus.
“Tonight they can throw him in a dungeon, tomorrow they can put him in chains. The truth is he is like water and water paves its own path. Novak is the Spartacus of the new world which won’t tolerate injustice, colonialism and hypocrisy."
As mixed metaphors go, this is definitely one of the weirdest--and most melodramatic.
Also, can someone please give Srdan a memo that refusing to respect the sovereignty of a country of which you are not a citizen while also endangering their literal, actual lives is pretty much exactly what colonialism is? Sorry "Spartacus"!
Many Australians' patience for Djokovic was already paper-thin given that they've had to endure some of the longest lockdowns on Earth over the past couple years, but this whole Jesus thing took things to a whole new level, and the Djokovics got dragged to filth on Twitter.
Apparently Djokovic refusing to get vaccinated makes him a mixture of Jean Val Jean, Nelson Mandela and actual Jesus.https://twitter.com/antoguerrera/status/1479012146017095683\u00a0\u2026— Sooz Kempner (@Sooz Kempner) 1641463060
After denying him entry into Australia, Novak Djokovic\u2019s father compared him to Jesus, saying: \u201cThey\u2019re trying to crucify him\u201d\u2026 But he seems to have forgotten, Jesus wasn\u2019t an asshole\u2026— Cyrus McQueen (@Cyrus McQueen) 1641501158
Srdjan Djokovic explaining to Jesus how Novak's being treated just like him.pic.twitter.com/ms0MRhZDcA— Thomas McGuire (@Thomas McGuire) 1641495621
My favourite quote from this Novak Djokovic saga is his father describing him as a freedom fighter against colonial injustice.\n\n\u201cNovak is the Spartacus of the new world which won\u2019t tolerate injustice, colonialism and hypocrisy.\u201d— Ahmed Yussuf (@Ahmed Yussuf) 1641496137
Did he just\u2026 he didn\u2019t just\u2026 Did he just compare his son to Jesus Christ?https://twitter.com/gasparlanca/status/1479098506040119300\u00a0\u2026— Ray Rauth (@Ray Rauth) 1641491385
Novak is Jesus 2.0\n\nWe all remember how Jesus won Wimbledon after the romans persecuted him!https://twitter.com/gasparlanca/status/1479098506040119300\u00a0\u2026— Hacked Ra\u00fbl (@Hacked Ra\u00fbl) 1641487689
"They crucified Jesus and now they are trying to crucify Novak the same way."\n\nNovak Djokovic's father, on his son's refusal to take a vaccine and then being unable to enter a country that requires entrants to have taken said vaccine— \u0f4a\u0f63\u0f56\u0f66\u0f62\u0f44\u0f67 (@\u0f4a\u0f63\u0f56\u0f66\u0f62\u0f44\u0f67) 1641497741
I CANT DO THIS ANYMORE THIS IS UNREALhttps://twitter.com/gasparlanca/status/1479098506040119300\u00a0\u2026— sasak cressy (@sasak cressy) 1641489124
insane sports parents are the best lmfaohttps://twitter.com/gasparlanca/status/1479098506040119300\u00a0\u2026— Sunny Day Real Aesthete (@Sunny Day Real Aesthete) 1641496978
Jesus. Seriously? COMPARING HIM TO JESUS?! https://twitter.com/gasparlanca/status/1479098506040119300\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/PdwiWWGGwC— Jasmin (@Jasmin) 1641484205
Anyway, executed religious and political leader Jesus Christ of Nazareth--er, sorry, tennis player Novak Djokovic--is currently in court in Australia as of this writing, where his fate in this year's Australian Open will be determined.