Now that he has won Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic will no doubt be claimed even more than before by different paddlers of nationalist sentiments.
It must be said, though, that Novak on the Centre Court itself and his family, girlfriend, friends and coach + President Boris Tadic in the audience all behaved rather gracefully.
Djokovic is an untypical Balkan sportsman inasmuch as he seems to have considerable staying power. When it comes to popular individual sports, he joins a club populated by only a few sportswomen and sportsman from the region. One is Monika Seles, who would have likely dominated the game for many more years than she did had it not been for the 1993 knife attack in Hamburg. Janica Kostelic and her brother Ivica, both dogged by injury, remained at the top or kept coming back for many years. Seles and Kostelics worked incredibly hard.
Djokovic’s advent to the World No.1 was gradual, as if he climbed to the top in slow motion, with the toil that the effort required visible to the public for many years.
Tadic said Djkovic is the right role-model for Serbia’s youth. One hopes he meant Djokovic’s hard work, dedication and persistency, not the glitz that will now inevitably surround Djokovic even more than before.
November 22nd, 2012
1 Comment at "Djokovic Wins Wimbledon"
….It must be said that Novak, his family, friends and President Tadic behaved gracefully…. Claimed by peddlers of national sentiment…. Not typical Balkan sportsman with considerable staying power… He is the right model for Serbia’s youth, hopefully hard work, not the glitz that follows….
I do not recall a sports write up so full of venom under the guise of praise. As if written by a supremacist, giving some credit to the untermenschen, giving that kind of praise only a superior race can give. So, what is a typical “Balkan” sportsman? What are “Balkans”? You mean a collection of tiny states, that would all fit into one Texas with room to spare? So, let us compare the individual sportsmen, team sports, artists, composers, writers of world renown that the “Balkans” produced, and see how it compares with, say Texas? And we are comparing a wealthy US state to impoverished region that suffered every time brilliant Western Europeans thought the wars could make them rich.
And what about “nationalism”? It exists in any sport in any country. Would you expect a Texan to be any less proud?
If there is anyone who needs to learn basic manners, is the writer of this article. Learning how to be respectfull is the first step.
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