The Daily Show returned from a long hiatus on Tuesday and among the stories host Trevor Noah decided to catch up on was the drawn-out saga of tennis champion Novak Djokovic’s ejection from the Australian Open for his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“This was supposed to have been a big week for Djokovic,” Noah said. “But like my dream of starring in the biopic of Weird Al, it wasn’t meant to be.”
In reference to a survey that found 71% of Australians favored his deportation, the host said, “Damn, it says a lot about you when that many Australians think you’re too dangerous to be in your country,” joking that their health minister is a “giant poisonous spider.”
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“And Australia is the last country that you want to get deported from,” he continued. “Imagine stepping off a 25-hour flight and then immediately having to get on another 25-hour flight! I don’t know what Djokovic thinks is in the vaccine, but it can’t possibly be worse than breathing in farts for 50 hours straight.”
But Noah didn’t actually find it “that surprising” that the tennis star would be against the vaccine given that “this is a man who says he knows he has a gluten intolerance—and this is completely true—because he’s physically weaker if he’s holding a slice of bread.”
Later, Noah was joined by correspondent—and former tennis pro—Michael Kosta, who joked that he can “relate” to Djokovic because he’s been “kicked out of a bunch of Outback Steakhouses.”
“And same as Novak, they said it was an issue with my ‘Visa,’” Kosta added. “What’s a guy got to do to be allowed to play the tournament? Nine-time champion, three-time defending champion, world number one, tied all-time for Grand Slams, what do you gotta do, Trevor?”
“Get vaccinated,” Noah replied.
For more, listen to The Daily Show’s Michael Kosta on The Last Laugh podcast.
