Novak Djokovic isn鈥檛 easy to like, and not just because the other members of the so-called Big Three of Tennis have far more agreeable personalities. He happens to cling to beliefs that are best described as controversial. For instance, he has insisted that 鈥渆nergetical transformation, through the power of prayer, through the power of gratitude, [can] turn the most toxic food, or maybe most polluted water into the most healing water, because water reacts.鈥 He also wears a nanotechnology device on his chest that, according to the manufacturer, converts body heat to light sent through the nervous system, 鈥渋mproving posture, balance and flexibility, [and] boosting athletic performance and focus, reducing stress, anxiety and chronic pain.鈥
And then there is Djokovic鈥檚 insistence on remaining unvaccinated for the coronavirus. The overwhelming preponderance of scientific fact on the benefits of inoculation, plus the untold risks he places others in by remaining unvaccinated, place him on shaky ground. It doesn鈥檛 matter if he has expressed willingness to forego the chance to claim more major championships. He鈥檚 a global citizen; he doesn鈥檛 live in a bubble. He鈥檚 being disingenuous when he says he鈥檚 not part of the anti-vax movement while refusing to get jabbed. He鈥檚 likewise being duplicitous when he claims to acknowledge the science behind vaccination, and yet doesn鈥檛 want to touch it with the proverbial 10-foot pole.
In short, Djokovic hasn鈥檛 done himself any favors with his cringe-inducing assumptions. Yet, for all the problems he creates off the court, there can be no doubting his success on it. He鈥檚 a magician with a racket in hand, and the very stubbornness that has him taking unconventional positions clearly fuels his greatness. Last Sunday, he cemented his hold on the sport with his record 23rd Grand Slam title, breaking a tie with established king-of-red-clay Rafael Nadal. He has claimed the men鈥檚 singles trophy on each major stop at least three times, a feat no one else has accomplished. And, his advancing age notwithstanding, he appears destined to keep rewriting history.
Indeed, Djokovic is once again on track to hit the most elusive of all targets: a calendar-year Grand Slam. He already has the Australian and French Opens in hand, and is the overwhelming favorite to take Wimbledon. Should he do so next month, he will be in prime position to complete what he couldn鈥檛 in 2021. And considering his uncanny capacity to learn from his missteps, he isn鈥檛 likely to wilt in the moment as he did two years ago. Heck, he鈥檚 so self-assured that he doesn鈥檛 hesitate to acknowledge 鈥渨in[ning] the most Slams and break[ing] the record for [most number of weeks] at Number One鈥 as his 鈥渃lear goals.鈥
So, yes, Djokovic cannot help but make outlandish, if dangerous, claims. At the same time, his mind-over-matter conviction informs his capacity to perform under extreme pressure. It鈥檚 certainly how he has managed to stay on top in the face of a significant youth invasion, and it figures to keep him engaged moving forward. Which is why, in the final analysis, his objectives look to be a matter of when, not if. For all the variabilities life has introduced, he deems himself the only constant that matters.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
