"That was incredibly arrogant and entitled of Novak Djokovic, it was a real low point in his career" - Peter Bodo on Serb's visa fiasco in Australian

Tennis journalist Peter Bodo looked back on Novak Djokovic's visa fiasco earlier this year with disapproval on a recent podcast with Patrick McEnroe. While the American admitted that Djokovic was not the only guilty party, he was of the opinion that most of the blame should be placed on the Serb for his arrogance and sense of entitlement.

Despite not being vaccinated, the Serb was allowed provisional entry to Australia based on a medical exemption. However, it was deemed insufficient by the country's border patrol and Djokovic was detained in Melbourne for a few days.

The former World No. 1 appealed the decision in court, but after a complicated and drawn-out legal battle, the Federal Court of Australia finally canceled his visa. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was unable to defend his title at Melbourne Park as a result and was deported from Down Under.

Bodo revealed that he was really bothered by the "funny stunts" the 34-year-old pulled leading up to his deportation. The 72-year-old further remarked that it was a "low point" in the World No. 2's career, made worse by the fact that it was completely avoidable.

"The thing that really bothered me early on [about what happened in Australia], certainly from a human point of view, was how he pulled some funny stunts," Bodo said. "There weren't many heroes in the Australian saga but I thought that was incredibly arrogant and entitled of him. It was a real low point in his career."

Now that all the events that took place in Australia were in the past, however, Peter Bodo declared that he did not have a problem with the Serb's entry into future tournaments. He was evenly slightly impressed by how Djokovic had succeeded in achieving his "endgame" of waiting for vaccine mandates all over the world to be lifted to resume his tennis.

"Now, he's shown he is willing to pay the price of not playing, which is a pretty big price. Novak Djokovic took some really big chances. He is just going to wait it out and he may actually be able to win the battle. I think it's his endgame and I don't have a problem with that," Bodo said. "If they lift the rules on vaccination, I am not a medicine expert and I presume that they have this under control, then he is not a threat. But the rules have to be applied."

Novak Djokovic confirmed to play at the Monte-Carlo Masters and Serbia Open while Roland Garros is a near-certainty

Novak Djokovic is all set to defend his title at the French Open this year

True to what Peter Bodo said, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has already confirmed his participation at the Monte-Carlo Masters and Serbia Open.

The French Open is also a virtual lock on the World No. 2's calendar. Roland Garros' tournament director Amelie Mauresmo stated in a recent interview that "nothing stands in the way" of the 34-year-old's participation in the event, where he is the defending champion.

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