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Novak Djokovic is also celebrating after the Corona break – he’s still undefeated this year. Image: keystone
Novak Djokovic’s plight: he can only lose, even if he wins
In the absence of defending champions Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic is aiming for his 18th Grand Slam title at the US Open. He has a lot to lose in New York and almost nothing to gain.
Novak Djokovic has never lost on the field this year. His last loss was on November 14, 2019 against Roger Federer. On the other hand, Djokovic lost a lot of sympathy next to the court and is the great loser of the days when tennis was not played.
It started with the Adria Tour, a series of tournaments in four Balkan countries that had to be canceled after numerous spectators and players contracted the corona virus, including Djokovic himself and his wife. The 33-year-old still has a hard time admitting his guilt. He placed the criticisms under widespread suspicion of xenophobia, saying they came “mainly from the West.” He was the victim of a witch hunt. He recently stated: “If I had the opportunity to do the Adriatic tour again, I would do it again.”
Nobody doubts the good intentions of Novak Djokovic and yet the question arises how a cosmopolitan, a prudent, warm and charming person next to the square, managed to make people shake their heads in such a short time and with such regularity . He came out against vaccination when he wrote: “Personally, I am against it. I don’t want someone to force me to get vaccinated to travel. ”Even in his home country, Serbia, he received criticism for this statement from the country’s top epidemiologist.
So Djokovic had to justify himself because it is said that he has broken the curfew that was still in force in Spain. He had hit tennis balls outdoors near Marbella, where he temporarily lives, and documented it himself.
Instagram conversations with an alchemist
Djokovic looked like someone who had lost touch when he was no longer in the limelight. He sought support in the supernatural. On two occasions he was shown to his followers with the Iranian Chervin Jafarieh, his “brother from another mother”, who describes himself as an alchemist.
Jafarieh taught how it is possible to change the molecular structure of water only with the power of thought. Bad water becomes good water. Djokovic nodded reverently. An hour-long dialogue followed, ending in a spiritual delusion for Djokovic and Jafarieh. Her mother Dijana said that Djokovic felt chosen by God. He was also the one who helped his son defeat Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final in the summer of 2019 after he fought back from two match points.
Closer to the reality of the life of his professional colleagues is the back and forth about participation in the US Open. First, Djokovic said it was unacceptable to be accompanied by only one supervisor. On August 13, he confirmed his participation in a unilateral statement full of pathos. It is a difficult decision. Nine days later he said, “I made my decision months ago.” It must have been like a slap in the face for your competitors.
Djokovic is also one of eight players not staying in a hotel or suite at the resort, but in private and expensive accommodation. That is your right. However, to say that your colleagues might have chosen you doesn’t necessarily show great empathy.
Unmatched mental strength
Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player today, perhaps in history. Because he wins even when the whole world has conspired against him. Because he always plays tennis, as he grew up as a child in the war-disabled Kopaonik, as a fighter, a gladiator, in constant crisis, persistent, relentless and with perseverance.
His mental strength is unmatched. Nowhere was this more evident than at the Wimbledon final in 2019. The audience wanted Roger Federer to be the winner. He had worn it until the last meeting. Djokovic later said that he had reinterpreted the Roger-Roger calls in his head as the Novak-Novak calls. That’s what someone on a mission thinks. The mission to make history.
In the final of Wimbledon 2019 Djokovic prevailed after a spectacular change of course against Roger Federer. Image: EPA
He is only interested in being the best, the best of the present, the best of the era, the best who has ever played tennis. In the summer of 2019 he said: “I have accomplished enough to stop in a moment. But I don’t do it for two reasons: first, I enjoy it, and second, I want to make history. I want to win as many Grand Slam titles as possible, and I also want the record for most weeks at the top of the world rankings. “Roger Federer, who has 20 Grand Slam titles and led the world rankings for 310 weeks, it still has the two maximum values.
When Novak Djokovic is on the tennis court, he always has two opponents: the one on the other side of the net and history. In New York there is a third: the long shadow of the absent.
At the US Open, Djokovic can only lose, even if he wins. Because it would be a victory with a footnote. Because defending champion Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, who defeated him in two Grand Slam finals, are losing their strongest opponents. This triumph would also make it into the history books, despite the footnote.
