sport / sports
knew what was awaiting me: 15 per- fect days. It was love at first sight. If you ask me, all cities that have a river immediately rate high- er than those that don't. And walk- ing through Melbourne Park beside the Yarra River was therapeutic after such long flights. This city, if you ask me, ranks in the top three among those I’ve visited. And I’ve really vis- ited plenty. It is easy to navigate (wi- fi is available on the streets), filled with greenery, and has very com- municative and approachable peo- ple. Melbourne doesn't have an op- era house like Sydney, a Colosseum like Rome or an Eiffel Tower like Par- is, but it does have an inimitable at- mosphere, is very safe and you can stroll its streets alone at night. It’s not without reason that the Australian Open is dubbed The Hap- py Slam. Sunshine, good organisa- tion, wonderful tennis. The toughest part is getting to this continent, but once you arrive, you’ll find that the organisers strive to make sure your enjoyment is complete. You will re- ceive anything you ask for, provided they’re able to get it. Journalists at the tournament receive 27 dollars per day for lunch accreditation, so we joked that our spoon had fallen into the honey, because unlike at Roland Garros, where we each re- ceive 15 euros (and the meal costs the full 15), we now also have extra change to buy a snack. Oh yes, while we’re on the topic of snacks. A pop- ular high tea was organised every day at 5 pm. Barbecue, beer, wine. For respite and refreshment prior to the evening matches. The organis- ers of the other Grand Slams would do well to emulate the Australians. Novak. A special story. A spe- cial man. I watched the first three matches through my fingers. That hamstring bothered him the whole time. He didn’t train during his free days. When he fell to the court of the Rod Laver Arena after winning the first set of his third-round match against Dimitrov, my heart stopped as I typed a message to my editor: “He surely won’t forfeit?!” “I do all I can to be well. I go to three to four therapy sessions dur-
ing the course of the day. I’m always in a car, going to different therapies in Melbourne,” we were once told by Novak. I think I sent more messages to Miljan Amanović, Novak’s god- father and physiotherapist, during those two weeks in Australia than I had over the previous ten years that I’ve known him. The message was always the same and always clear: “Just to withstand this one!” And so it was, all the way to the final. Ahead of the battle for the trophy, I was completely calm. When I saw that there was no bandage around his leg, I typed a message to a very fa- miliar number: “We're winning this one. The cup’s on its way!” Well done, Tsitsipas, but it was a one-man show. After everything that Novak endured 12 months ago, the circle has turned. That 29 th Jan- uary was Đoković’s perfect perfor- mance, in which the Greek player played only a supporting role. The tears Novak shed after the match, together with the members of his team, were tears of relief. “He made it easy for himself. And if only he know how it was for us,” smiled his brother Marko when I approached to congratulate him. A year on and we’re no longer thinking about medicine and Aus- tralian justice, but rather about the movements of the yellow ball that can really cause a commotion with our passions, can make or break our week, drive us crazy and compel us to ask ourselves: “What’s up with me? I mustn’t allow myself to get so emotional!” That 29 th January was one of those days that I call my own – perfect from start to finish. Al- though it was really totally Novak’s. “Come, stand here,” Novak tells me during a photo shoot with jour- nalists at the last press conference in Melbourne. I confess that I didn't resist: I grabbed the trophy on one side. And a keepsake photo was created. To re- mind me of one of the most beau- tiful days of my career. And also of my life, why should I be humble? Novak, it looks like I’m not your jinx after all!
Australijo, ljubav si na prvi i svaki sledeći pogled. Vidimo se sledeće godine Australia, you are love at first and every subsequent sight. See you again next year
108 | Tenis » Tennis
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