We’re coming to it in 11 months since the last time fans could grab a stadium in America to watch sports. Sometimes it feels like the pandemic restrictions will last forever. But on Friday in Adelaide, Australia, there was a glimpse into the future and present that America could have had with skilful leadership.
GOAT Serena Williams headlined A day on the road, a tennis exhibition that helped players prepare for their tune-ups for the Australian Open after emerging from a 14-day quarantine upon arrival at Down Under.
Williams took on Naomi Osaka and each took a set, 6-2, before the 23-time major champion triumphed, 10-7, in a match-deciding tie-break. The other great ladies’ match, between No. 1 Ash Barty and No. 2 Simona Halep, also required a tie-breaker, with the Romanian taking a 10-8 victory.
However, the results didn’t matter much as the event was a celebration for fans and players alike to get back to normal. A few masks were visible in the crowd, but not required, as the entire country of Australia hasn’t had a day since the start of the year with more than 35 new cases of COVID-19.
“Entrusting us with your laws was great,” said Williams. “And we were so happy to be here, and now it’s worth it.”
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In an interview with Stephen Colbert earlier this week, Williams described the quarantine experience as “super intense but … super good, because after that you can have a new normal like we were used to in the United States last year.”
Williams is quarantined with her 3-year-old daughter Olympia, and anyone with pandemic kids can tell you how silly it sounds when players like Roberto Bautista Agut compare it to “prison … but with wifi.” Novak Djokovic, Deadspin’s number 20 Idiot of the Year for 2020 due to his superspreader event and his failure to attend the US Open, has also been criticized for requesting that quarantine restrictions be relaxed for players, although he tried to clarify that he tried to “use my privileged position to be of the greatest possible service where and when needed.”
Certainly, just as Djokovic was just trying to score when he hit a ball to a linesman’s throat at Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic withdrew from A Day at the Drive, referring to blisters on his hand, but showed up anyway to play a set to Jannik Sinner.
In any case, Djokovic is a complete weirdo, a form of normal that never ends.