Novak Djokovic is not happy after winning the Australian Open
Usually, Novak Djokovic is jubilant when he converts a match point in a Grand Slam final. He usually falls on his back or looks at his clan with the grin of a kid who’s just been given a giant lollipop. See for yourself:
Admittedly, this video is incomplete because the 21st (Wimbledon 2022) is missing. Don’t worry, here it is:
Now take a good look at the contrast of the celebration against Stefanos Tsitsipas:
Let’s start with the champion’s start and initial reaction. Don’t smile, don’t fall on your back, don’t cry. nothing. Except for a submissive glance at the tribe of that finger pointing in succession to his brain, heart, and c———- direction. The handshake below is pretty classic, but Novak’s attitude is that of a player who won his third round, not his 22nd Grand Slam title!
Novak Djokovic lay in tears in the box
What does this look mean? During the subsequent press conference, the journalist asked “Nole” a question and asked him to explain what his gestures meant. “You need a big heart, mental strength and a third thing,” explained the Serb. It didn’t expand, and then it didn’t mention that it didn’t. But it happened a little later during the press conference. Or rather, it was clear that the player was more comfortable with the Serbian portion of the questions, and so began to peel off the layers of the shield he wore before arriving on Australian soil. Remember he was kicked out of Australia last year anyway because he was a so-called threat when he was clearly the unfortunate result of a political game.
It’s easy to understand that the Serb was afraid of him returning to the country that kicked him out of the back 365 days ago, in absolute humiliation mode. Therefore, we can imagine that the defiant views of his tribe may extend to Australia and all its inhabitants, where Novak Djokovic took his revenge. But that’s not all.
Back to the festivities, the now 22 Grand Slam winner climbed the court wall to hug his family and team. This scene ended with something never seen before, Novak Djokovic lying in tears in the box, completely cracked. Freedom from pressure. Even if Marc Gicuel doubts their truth, two reasons for so many tears:
If you read the comments, you’ll see that not everyone agrees with him…
Of course, Novak was in tears. Maybe it added a little more for the show, but the emotion was there for two reasons. The first is his father’s forced absence from this final despite his good performance in Australia. Moreover, the Joko clan took special care to leave the place empty so that his father Srdjan would be conspicuous by his absence. During the quarter-finals, the latter was seen taking pro-Russian selfies and videos with Rublev supporters, which is somewhat paradoxical when you know the Russian player’s view of the conflict. There is no doubt about Father Djokovic’s political position. Agreeing with his son, they decided it was best that he not be there. One close-up and he would surely have been booed profusely by the entire stadium. Moreover, it is a situation that will be very difficult for the player to live with, which allowed him to win the tie with Nadal in the Grand Slam final and regain his place as world No. 1.
The second reason for this “nervous breakdown”, which reminds a little of the tears in New York when he lost to Daniil Medvedev in the finals of the US Open in 2021, is this injury to the left thigh.
In the semifinal against Daniil Medvedev (again) in Adelaide, Novak Djokovic felt discomfort in his knees. That discomfort didn’t stop him from beating the Russian, then followed it up the next day with a three-set win over Sebastian Korda in 3h09. A few days later, during a training session in Melbourne, the Serbian was embarrassed and even had to stop the session. Later we saw her playing with her left thigh ‘strap’. Obviously, the injury wasn’t serious enough to prevent him from playing (very) well for two weeks, even playing “perhaps my best tennis,” according to Novak himself. On the other hand, he didn’t appreciate that people might think he was “fake”.
Mats Wilander said on Eurosport that it was “ridiculous”.
What interest would Novak Djokovic have in playing with a bandaged thigh? Even if he wants to play with the straps that bring him psychological comfort, who are these people to judge, and above all, how does it apply to them? If we go there, why didn’t we question the “goal” played by Milos Raonic? Or Alize Cornet’s thongs on both thighs? Many players wrap either therapeutically or prophylactically. As long as he’s in the right frame of mind, that’s all that matters. And obviously, everything was fine in Novak’s head. I can only agree with Mats Wilander on Eurosport who said it was “ridiculous”.
But Novak Djokovic was clearly moved by the story. Back to the Serbian part of the press conference, here’s a journalist’s tweet, followed by a little more detail on what he said:
“During these two weeks, I thought about the possibility to post something on social networks, to show what I was going through. I will do it soon. People are laughing, and I want to show what’s happening for me, not for them. You will know everything in a few days. I don’t want to sound pathetic, I won the tournament, but the way people are acting bothers me. Something similar happened two years ago, and people are still suspicious (about this new injury), saying all kinds of things. »
And so comes the truth. Meanwhile, we can only congratulate the Serbs. Next up: Roland Garros and, why not, the final against Rafael Nadal in addition to the Mousquetaires Cup, which clinched a 23rd Grand Slam title for the winner.
