“I tell you one thing,” (Rafael) Nadal, the great Spanish player, said, “It’s very clear that Novak Djokovic is one of the best players of the history, without a doubt. But there is no one player in history that’s more important than the event, no? The player stays and then goes, and other players are coming. Even Roger, Novak, myself, Bjorn Borg, who was amazing at his times, tennis keeps going,” he said, referring to Roger Federer. “Australian Open is more important than any player. If he’s playing finally, OK. If he’s not playing, the Australian Open will be a great Australian Open.” (NYT)

I don’t know where in the universe my dear friend Armando Ramirez is – miss ya, but I do know for sure, he would exclaim on the controversary surrounding Djokoivic, something like this, “Bravo Rafa (who is vaccinated and at an earlier press conference suggested that Nadal should do the same). If Novak wants to play in the Open then get the damn shot.” Armando regularly played tennis into his eighth decade – one of the advantages, along with the warm climate (he hated the cold) and his nearby family, of living in the San Diego area.