The sports journalism community is in mourning following the sudden and unexpected death of Mike Dickson, a well-known figure in tennis reporting. Dickson, who was on the brink of celebrating his 60th birthday on January 27, passed away while in Melbourne covering the Australian Open.
Confirmation of his demise came through a heartfelt social media post by his wife and children. The message, shared on Dickson’s X account, conveyed the family’s devastation: “We are devastated to announce that our wonderful husband and Dad, Mike, has collapsed and died while in Melbourne for the Aus Open.” The post continued, “For 38 years, he lived his dream covering sport all over the world. He was a truly great man, and we will miss him terribly,” signed by “Lucy, Sam, Ruby, and Joe.”
Although widely respected within the sports journalism community, Dickson was also recognized for his critical coverage of tennis star Novak Djokovic. Over the years, he authored numerous headlines, such as “Welcome to the Wacky World of Novak Djokovic: Anti-vaxxer tennis superstar is a tree-hugger who insists Bosnia’s ‘pyramids’ give off mystic energy and that positive thoughts can PURIFY water,” “Novak Djokovic’s WEASEL words cut no ice and he has damaged his reputation with his ‘misinformation’ around the Australian Open… after helping to create a player union, his leadership credentials have been BADLY damaged,” “Novak Djokovic will remain a hero to some, but to many others he has TRASHED his reputation beyond repair,” and “Novak Djokovic could ruin his chances of becoming the GOAT by refusing to take the vaccine… it is a strange hill to die on for a player who is so desperate to be loved.”
Throughout his reporting, Dickson consistently referred to Djokovic as “deplorable” and fixated on the tennis star’s unvaccinated status. In a 2022 piece, he wrote, “He says he wants more information, but how much more does he need? More than 10 billion doses have been administered worldwide, and there is now a wealth of evidence out there.”
Despite the often critical coverage from Dickson, Djokovic shared a respectful message of condolence on X.
