Regardless of whether either of the French or Australian Open rules are just, both of the players broke them. Osaka to protect their own health, Djokovic to potentially endanger others. Yet, Osaka received an onslaught of abuse and was forced to withdraw by the body that should support her, while there seems to be far less official condemnation of Djokovic’s behavior.

It sends a very clear message: men are allowed to bend the rules when it is appropriate for them, and women can not. It’s also another reminder of the disparity between how we view mental vs physical challenges. There’s a distasteful ‘prove it’ attitude towards an athlete’s mental illness, while more sympathy and understanding surrounding individual choice when it comes to physical complications. These are both huge double standards we see time and time again in sport; Andy Murray quietly withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics men’s singles with a thigh strain, but Simone Biles withdrew due to a condition known as ‘the twisties’ and was met with uproar.

Novak Djokovic’s vaccination scandal reeks of sexist double standards