Ballbreathtaker

The 35-year-old Novak Djokovic finished the 2022 tennis year triumphantly, winning the ATP Masters finals’ title. And the way he did it showed that Djokovic is most probably the greatest champion in tennis history - an incredible fighter, very tough minded, and with an unquenchable desire to win. Djokovic’s last 3 matches at the ATP Masters finals were a witness to his extraordinary character and mindset. He played against Medvedev as if his life depended upon it in a game whose outcome did not matter since Novak had already qualified for the semi-finals. And still Djokovic won the match, despite simultaneously fighting heavy dizziness from the end of the second set all the way through the end of the third. And after that less than 24 hours later, he met Taylor Fritz at the semifinals, and despite the fact he still had ongoing health issues—most probably vertigo—which made him slower and forced him to play much more passively, Novak still found a way to win after 2 tiebreaks. The following day, during the final, Djokovic had another serious health crisis about 15 minutes into the match—but miraculously after a few games and several juices and pills, he looked completely recovered and defeated Casper Ruud with 7:5, 6:3 to win the title. In this way, Novak Djokovic triumphantly finished the hardest year in his career. The year in which he was not permitted to compete at some of the most prestigious tournaments; the year in which he was stripped of several thousands points not only after being prevented from defending his title at the Australian Open but also when he defended his title at Wimbledon. And in that way Novak was stripped of his well-deserved and hard-earned first place in the ATP rankings. 2022 was also the year in which Djokovic was demonized by the mainstream media more than ever before. And all of this took place for political reasons. And Djokovic’s only “fault” was that he refused to put in his body something which he believed might threaten his health more than it had the potential to help it. And he refused to do this amidst global mass hysteria and mass psychosis, accompanied by brutal coercion. And Novak remained steadfast and did not bend. And he turned out to be right. For political reasons masquerading as public health concerns, he was extradited from Australia and was not permitted to compete in the Australian Open, and likewise was not allowed in the United States to participate in the US Open and some of the biggest masters tournaments there. Some people have sarcastically suggested that instead of applying for a US visa he should simply have entered through the wide open US Southern border. But we can be sure that even this would not have worked for Djokovic, and he would have been extradited like he was in Australia. It may have worked for anyone else—but not Djokovic. He was marked. And targeted. As a high-profile celebrity refusing to go along with the script, he was turned into public enemy number one. He was subject to an obvious double standard—only not to his advantage but to his harm. Two years ago, he was disqualified from the US Open, being the main favorite to win, only because, seconds after a game, frustrated he carelessly but unintentionally flicked a ball which struck a line judge, who—by the way—also wasn’t paying attention to the players. Immediately, the harshest penalty was enacted and the already proclaimed as public-health-threat Djokovic was kicked out of the tournament, accompanied by commentary that the rules apply to everyone and no double-standard would benefit the top player. This year, however, the US Open had no problem when Djokovic was discriminatorily denied participation in the tournament, and the tournament did nothing to try to prevent it. Also, were the actions of the ATP Board affecting Djokovic insidious and hypocritical? Judge for yourselves: Under the pretext of punishing Wimbledon for discriminating against the Russian and Belorussian tennis players on the basis of nationality, ATP “penalized” the Wimbledon by not awarding points… to the players who participated in the tournament. And… surprise! The most penalized turned out to be none other than Djokovic, who defended his title at Wimbledon, but after being stripped of his deserved points, he was systemically robbed of his first place in the ATP rankings. Can we call this a mere coincidence? Hardly. But despite being subjected to all this, Novak did not bend, did not cave. He let his greatest ambition to win a record number of Grand Slam titles take a back seat, he was willing to lose millions in prize money and advertisement revenues, he was willing to be demonized by the mainstream media and to be hated by the manipulated crowds. He has remained faithful to his principles, strong, courageous, and firm. And time proved him to be right. Novak Djokovic showed himself to be a real man of integrity—a good and wise son, husband and father, who is responsible for his family and cannot allow himself to put his health and the wellbeing of his family under risk, even when he was being relentlessly accused that he was recklessly and egoistically doing exactly that. He showed himself to be a true exemplary citizen. Even more—without wanting it, without looking for it, he became a hero. And those who persecuted and slandered him paradoxically contributed to this outcome. Yes, he became a hero for many—for hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions. And many of them even had not liked him before. I am one of these people. Justified or not, I used to not like Djokovic. At all. Maybe something that contributed was that I was a die-hard Nadal fan. But after everything that’s happened since Australian Open, I am rooting for Team Djokovic. I am part of Team Djokovic. But I also think that the suffering, the injustice, the character assassination, the persecutions Djokovic underwent were not only a test of his character—they were also a blessing for him because they made him stronger, wiser, a better person, more grateful, and humbler. God hates pride and rewards the humble. And the faithful. One more reason Djokovic is the target of so many attacks—open or poorly concealed—is that he is known around the world as a strong, brave family man who wears a cross on his chest and after every victory looks to the heavens above and gives thanks. “You know that if they hate you, they have hated me first,” says our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But the faithful and humble Djokovic, by God’s mercy, was vindicated triumphantly. Once again he won a series of tough matches and big titles—some of which he was on the verge of losing, yet he prevailed. Instead of losing money, he ended up with the biggest payday in tennis history. Even more, he won the love and respect of millions of people—and not even primarily for his indisputable tennis skills and super champion’s mindset. But because of his character, strength and integrity. But the battle continues. “And whoever endures to the end will be saved”. Amen! God bless you, Novak Djokovic!

Lionel Messi is getting closer to grab the world title with Argentina. And if Morocco score first, they will have a great chance to eliminate France.