Djokovic at US Open 2015
By Michael Ashcraft and Mark Ellis
To win the Australian Open, a tennis player needs composure –
something Novak Djokovic, 28, developed when his city was bombed by NATO
for 78 consecutive nights in 1999.
A Christian of deep faith, Djokovic – also known as Super Novak –
made use of his poise under pressure to take the Jan. 31 Open by storm.
He slammed contender Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 in a display of dominance
proving why he’s tennis’ new #1 ranked player.
Djokovic grew up playing tennis in Belgrade when NATO imposed an
embargo and bombed the city during the Kosovo War in 1999, causing great
shortages of food.
“We started the war living in fear, but somewhere during the course
of the bombings, something changed in me, in my family, in my people,”
Djokovic wrote in his memoir, Serve to Win. “We decided to stop being
afraid. After so much death, after so much destruction, we simply
stopped hiding. We decided to make fun of how ridiculous our situation
was. One friend died his hair like a bulls-eye, a target.”
With his wife Jelena Ristic on vacation in Greece
Young Djokovic himself stumbled and fell while scrambling to a bomb
shelter one night. He looked up and saw a fearsome F-117 bomber release
its cargo upon a hospital, he said.
If you can play tennis while dodging bullets and standing in long
lines for bread and milk, then nothing can unnerve you. After facing the
hardships of war, the psychological games played by opponents on a
tennis court are relatively tame to Djokovic. His inner resolve has
resulted in many come from behind victories.
His opponents seem befuddled next to his highly-trained concentration level that screens out distractions of any form.
When Djokovic did the unimaginable and recovered from a breakdown in
the fifth set to beat Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open of 2013, the
Australian news.com.au proclaimed it an act akin to turning water into
wine or opening up the Red Sea.
“No one does that,” the reporter wrote. “Djokovic wins a lot of matches he should lose.”
Djokovic, jubilant over a triumph that made the world stand up and
notice, tore off his shirt to celebrate. The wooden cross around his
neck bore visible testament to his faith.
Saying thanks to God, Novak Djokovic on the court
Other players choke. Djokovic brings out his best tennis when the
heat is on. At the 2011 U.S. Open he played 16-time major winner Roger
Federer and returned a mind-boggling ball on match point that seemed
impossible to retrieve – now memorialized as “the shot” – that shocked
Federer and the entire tennis world. Federer was reportedly upset about
it for months.
Once upon a time, Djokovic was the upstart among tennis champions. He
was the “third man” behind Federer and Nadal. Now, he stands alone. He
has won 11 Grand Slam singles titles – four of the last five. In 2015,
he won 82 of 88 matches – a 93% win percentage.
“He doesn’t miss anymore,” said John Lloyd, once an Australian Open finalist, as quoted by the BBC.
Djokovic describes himself as “orthodox Christian” but “less a
religious person than a person of faith,” according to the UK’s
Guardian. He frequently gestures thanks to God on the court.
Off the court, Djorkovic serves as a Unicef ambassador for his native
Serbia and he also founded the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which fosters
education for disadvantaged children. He attends the Eastern Orthodox
Church. He speaks five languages fluently and is studying others.
If on the hard court he breaks down his opponents, off the court he
impersonates them, earning himself the nickname “Djoker” (pronounced,
similarly to his name, “joker”). He recently won the hearts of the
public and the ball boys by hanging out with his ball boy during a spell
of rain.
He married his long-time girlfriend, model Jelena Ristic, in 2014.
The couple has a baby son, Stefan. Regarding God’s institution of
marriage, he counseled his tennis compatriots: “I suggest that to every
player: Get married, have kids, let’s enjoy this.”
Source: Godreports