"Thank you for showing everyone that despite the difficulties, a person can succeed when he believes and wants to" - Novak Djokovic pours praise on Serbian Paralympians
Novak Djokovic has earned a reputation for promoting the game in his country and exchanging notes and parting wisdom with other athletes in Serbia as well. He recently interacted with the athletes on the sidelines of the Serbia Open and the tournament posted the pics in a tweet.
Danas na #SerbiaOpen Novaka su posetili srpski paraolimpijci koji su mu poručili da nas obraduje sa mnoštvo vrhunskih rezultata na koje nas je godinama navikao. https://t.co/RU59zEUvrl
Djokovic recently engaged in conversations with Serbian Paralympians and the World No. 1 posed for pictures as well. Djokovic received a gift from the Paralympians and said a few words, too.
"Thank you, it is a great pleasure and honor for me, you are heroes and inspiration for all of us. Thank you for representing Serbia in the best way in the world, for showing everyone that despite the difficulties, a person can succeed when he believes and wants to. Thank you for that message," Djokovic said.
Novak Djokovic' stop-start 2022 season
Novak Djokovic has been fraught with uncertainty this season due to his vaccination status. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was unable to compete in competitions in Australia and the United States. Djokovic has only played in two tournaments this year, losing to Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinals of Dubai and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round of Monte-Carlo.
After the defeat, Djokovic admitted he was not physically prepared to play at such a high level, having missed out on so many events this season. He then travelled to Belgrade, where he was seen practicing with Dominic Thiem ahead of the Serbia Open.
Despite losing in the Monte-Carlo Masters in the second round and dropping 90 points from his run last year, Novak Djokovic will continue to be ranked World No. 1. World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev was 10 points behind Djokovic, but dropped 180 points from his run to the semifinals in the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Players like Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal are not too far behind Djokovic and Medvedev in ranking points. However, the German's inability to win the tournament after losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals meant that he was unable to close the gap to Djokovic at the top of the rankings.