New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers attended the U.S. Open on Sunday and showed his support for tennis great Novak Djokovic while also zinging those who enforced the COVID mandates that kept him out of previous U.S. Open tournaments.
Rodgers and his friend and teammate Randall Cobb took in the action at Arthur Ashe Stadium as Djokovic performed on an American court for the first time in a very long time.
Using the hashtag ânovaxdjokovic,â Rodgers took to Instagram to capture the moment.
There’s a lot happening in this photo as Aaron Rodgers got to see Novak Djokovic at the US Open today. pic.twitter.com/lNAjIBri79
â Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 4, 2023
The occasion marked Djokovicâs first appearance at the U.S. Open since 2021, when U.S. vaccine mandates barred him from entering the country.
âNo, there was no anger,â Djokovic said before the start of the tournament. âIt was last year during the Open that I felt itâs a pity that Iâm not there. I felt sad for not being able to participate,â Djokovic said with a shrug of his shoulders, draped in a gray hoodie. âBut this year, I mean, is this year. I donât think about what happened in the last year or last couple of years. Just focusing my attention to this yearâs tournament.â
Rodgersâ position on the vaccine is well known. In November of 2021, Rodgers told Pat McAfee that he was in the âcrosshairs of the woke mobâ due to his critical stance on the vaccine.
âI realize Iâm in the crosshairs of the woke mob right now,â Rodgers said. âSo, before my final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket, I think I would like to set the record straight on so many of the blatant lies that are out there about myself.â
Rodgers went on to slam the âwitch huntâ against unvaccinated players and insisted that he was not âlyingâ when he said he was âimmunizedâ against the virus.
âI didnât lie in the initial press conference,â he said before adding, âIt wasnât some sort of ruse or lie. It was the truth,â Rodgers insisted.
Rodgers added that he is ânot an anti-vax, flat earther,â but is instead a critical thinker.â
Rodgers will play his first game with the Jets in Buffalo on September 11.