“We’re staying in New Jersey with friends. We need 50 minutes to reach the complex, but the most important thing is that it’s peaceful there,” I’m told by Miljan Amano- vić, Novak’s best man and physio- therapist, during one of the train- ing sessions. I spoke with Goran Ivanišević, Novak's coach, ahead of the semi-fi- nal match against Ben Shelton. “The final will be Đoković vs. Alcaraz. The whole world is waiting for that. I'm waiting too," I’m told by the former player popularly known as Rab- bit. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Ivanišević got it completely wrong. Đoković took to the court for the fi- nal against Daniil Medvedev. “How did you get it so wrong?” I jest the next day, encountering Ivanišević as I stroll around the complex. “I would have preferred Alcaraz, the Russian is awkward, but it is what it is,” he laughs. The second set of the final... Medvedev breaks, breaks and breaks again; the Russian turns into rein- forced concrete. At one point, from our point of view in the tenth row of the stands, it seemed as though Đoković was literally playing against a wall in a schoolyard. Novak was al- so struggling physically in the middle of the second set - he faltered slight- ly after longer rallies, stretched, took hits, buckled and seemed as though he was going to break. But he didn’t! One’s head feels like explod- ing from the strain of just watch- ing, and he’s out there, taking the hits and waiting for that instant of reversal, that breaking point. And in my head, I’m still wondering: man, how in god’s name do you do that? “I’m grateful that I come from Serbia; that gives me faith and hope – it’s why everything I achieve is even sweeter and fulfils me even more,” said Novak speaking after the match. And we are too, champ, we are too. Taking a picture with the cham- pion is now a tradition. Let’s con- tinue the streak we started in Mel- bourne. He smiles, agrees, says ‘see you soon’. And that ‘soon’ will be Australia; to celebrate the 25 th Grand Slam already in January. Together.
We were at the U.S. Open With Novak in New York A t the age of 36, in a race against eterni- ty in which he is his own greatest rival, No- vak Đoković is playing Novak was relaxed in the Big Apple from the outset, and I knew that I’d end up having my picture taken with him and the trophy
sent a message to my colleague Bo- jan Vinulović, who was then report- ing from the Basketball World Cup in Manila. “Listen, the finals are the same day. First, you’ll bring us world cup gold in the morning, and then I’ll bring the 24 th Grand Slam in the evening. Serbia will be a madhouse.” I could already see at the first press conference in New York that Nole was in good spirits. In contrast to Australia, where he’d been jittery because of his thigh injury, in Amer- ica he was pretty relaxed. “Hey, you two! How's it go- ing?” Novak didn't fail, at the very first conference, to offer praise to me and my colleague Saša about our Instagram profile “U penjanju” (On the rise), which we use to write exclusively about tennis events in the country and around the world. Novak likes it, so he always calls us “U penjanju” and has even asked us for stickers! So, the first impression: excel- lent. Completely serene, ready for jokes. It was already clear that he’d come to take the title. He oozed con- fidence with every sentence. Đok- ović knew what everyone else also knew, but didn't want to say out loud because of the “curse”. “I came to improve my average in New York. Only three titles!” said Nole rightly. Everything progressed accord- ing to protocol for two weeks. Match, training, match. I saw him every day. And he was never in a bad mood.
the best tennis of his life. And he’s winning. He closed the circle in the middle of New York, which he wasn’t even allowed to enter until this May. This enigmatic Serb raised his 24 th Grand Slam trophy and thus con- firmed what the whole world already knew: that he is the best to have ev- er picked up a racquet. And prior to our departure for New York, everything already smelt like a title – a 24 th Grand Slam ti- tle. I know how to sniff that out, as I’ve been following Nole for so many years, at various Grand Slams, changing continents, that I know how to gauge the atmosphere. And it didn’t hurt that Novak received excellent opponents in the draw... “Here you mark the...” I was about to say the word “title” ahead of Đoković's first press conference, but my colleagues, and primarily friends on this journey through the Big Ap- ple, stop me. “Don’t say it, Jelo! Because of the curse!” As they weren’t ready to con- tinue that conversation, I instead
Nole, hvala ti za radost, ponos i malo suza na kraju Nole, thanks for the joy, pride, and a few tears at the end.
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