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There has been plenty of talk surrounding Novak Djokovic’s success in Melbourne last week. However, his rather inspiring on-court speech following the victory has received almost as much attention as the final itself. Some have even referred to the speech as ‘Churchill-esque’. Now, I don’t know about all of that, but it was certainly a more heartfelt and deep speech compared to other trophy ceremonies he has participated in.
Yet of the many things Djokovic said in that speech, there was one part that really resonated with the crowd. While thanking his team, Djokovic said that they were the only ones who truly knew what he had been through in the last fortnight. And following that statement, he claimed that he believed this tournament win to be the biggest victory of his life. Quite a statement for a guy who has won so many important tournaments – we can probably all agree.
And the more I’ve pondered why he said this during the speech, the more obvious the answer has become. Therefore, I’d like to provide my two cents on what Djokovic truly meant by this statement following his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Biggest Victory of His Life – Novak Djokovic’s Statement Explained
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If there is anything that we can take away from Djokovic’s success at the 2023 Australian Open, it’s that you can overcome any obstacle thrown your way in this world. That was clearly the message that Djokovic intended to send with his speech in Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night. And while he didn’t explicitly state the reasons behind his viewpoint on the scale of this victory, I can hazard a pretty good guess of what he meant. Let me share my thoughts right now.
Deportation in 2022
The most obvious factor that he was referencing here is the infamous deportation saga that took place in 2022. One can only imagine the mental toll this took on him, especially with the way that he was portrayed as the villain by mainstream media. And at one point, he was facing a three-year ban from the country, meaning he wouldn’t be allowed to compete in the Australian Open for a considerable length of time – if ever again given the stage of his career.
The Hamstring Injury
While Djokovic achieved victory concerning the 2022 deportation fiasco by overturning the decision made by Australian authorities, there was another huge victory. As you probably know, Djokovic had a major hamstring injury throughout the tournament. In fact, it has only recently come to light that he had a 3cm tear in his left hamstring. To even take to the court with such an injury is a monstrous effort.
But to win the trophy with this issue – that’s something from another world.
Issues With His Father During the Event
Unfortunately, Djokovic’s father was pictured with Russian fans within the grounds of the Australian Open who were clearly supporting the war in the East. This was an honest mistake on his father’s part, yet the media had a frenzy by claiming that Djokovic’s father was clearly a supporter of the war. Because of this, Djokovic felt it best to keep his father out of the stadium when he was playing.
Dealing with this in the middle of a huge tournament was obviously awful for him. Yet again, he overcame the issues and the adversity to come out on top, as only he can.
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