Novak Djokovic fan reaches out with emotional message, calls him "an angel who walks the earth"
Novak Djokovic is one of the most popular figures in his home country Serbia. So when it was announced on Sunday that the World No. 1 would be deported from Australia, fans from all over the country reached out to Djokovic with messages of love and support.
One of those came from a fan who was on the receiving end of the Serb's kindness in 2020. Stefan Markuljevic, whose daughter's medical treatment was supported by the 20-time Grand Slam champion, took to Instagram to stand with the 34-year-old during his time of crisis.
Stefan bemoaned the Serb's treatment at the hands of Australian authorities who, he said, treated the Serb like a "prisoner". He further added that Djokovic would always be the "best athlete on the planet" and "an angel who walks the earth" in his family's opinion and that he was proud to live in the same era as the World No. 1.
"You won this battle the day you thought you'd get into it. It is a great injustice that you, as the best athlete on the planet, who came only to play tennis, are treated as a prisoner," the fan wrote to Novak Djokovic on Instagram. "For my family and me, you are an angel who walks the earth, I am happy and proud to live in the era of a great man and athlete like you! Thank you @djokernole."
Sofija Markuljevic suffers from a rare condition called Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, a form of Spinal Muscular Atrophy that usually afflicts children less than six months of age. Sofija's medical treatment in the USA cost northwards of $2 million, which was borne in part by the Serb.
Moreover, the World No. 1 also arranged for a private plane for the family so that they could bypass COVID-19 protocols and reach the hospital at the earliest.
"We are especially grateful to Miodrag Kostić and his company, as well as Novak Đoković, who provided a private flight to America, because their help came as the crown of this action for a better life in our Sofija," the family wrote in a previous Instagram post. "Without their engagement, the organization of travel to America in the conditions of the corona virus pandemic would not have been so easily realized."
Novak Djokovic is at risk of losing the World No. 1 position at the end of the Australian Open
Meanwhile, the Serb is at risk of losing the World No. 1 ranking by the conclusion of the Australian Open which kicked off today. Djokovic has lost the 2000 ranking points he accumulated with his triumph at the tournament last year, bringing his tally down to 9015.
Caruso, lucky loser, takes his place in the drawConsequences of Djokovic's visa cancellation:
➡️ Caruso, lucky loser, takes his place in the draw
➡️ Medvedev and Zverev can each become world No. 1
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev currently has 8935 points following his exploits at the 2022 ATP Cup. However, the Russian finished as the runner-up in the previous edition of the Australian Open, meaning that he is defending 1200 points of his own. As a result, Medvedev can only snatch the World No. 1 spot from Djokovic if he goes all the way in Melbourne and wins his second Grand Slam.
World No. 3 Alexander Zverev also stands to overtake the Serb by winning the Australian Open, since he is at 7970 points as of now and is only defending 360 points at the first Grand Slam of the year.