E verything used to be “shared” by two - Federer and Nadal. Then Novak got involved, and the three of them ruled the tennis world for a long time. Today there are as many as 14 active play- ers who have won at least one Grand Slam or Masters title. It’s tough to fight in such an order, and it became even tougher for Đoković in mid-2017, when the pain in his elbow became unbearable. Half a year of an ob- ligatory break and then - the terrible confrontation with reality and surgery. When he returned to the court, he seemed to have gone astray. He played in Indian Wells and lost to a player ranked 109 th in the world. He tried again in Miami and was immediately defeated by the 47 th player on the ATP list. Just as the enjoyment started to come back with reaching the third round in Monte Carlo, elimination followed im- mediately in his first match in Barcelona, against the play- er ranked 140 th in the world. In Madrid he was stopped
in the second round. At the venue of his greatest joy, Roland Garros, where in 2016 he’d unified the four Grand Slam trophies, he lost this time to Marco Cecchinato, ranked 72 nd in the world. These were painful days for Đoković, and he became aware that the problem was no longer in the body. “It seemed to me that I was close to my desired form, but I played terribly
I went mountain hiking with my wife, in France. We isolated ourselves and looked at things from a different perspective – revealed Đoković after winning the U.S. Open recently
against Cecchinato. And I realised after that match that I had to somehow “switch off” from everything. I went mountain hiking with my wife, in France. We isolated our- selves and looked at things from a different perspective,” revealed Đoković after his recent victory at the U.S. Open. Prior to this NewYork triumph,‘Nole’finally won, for the first time in his career, the Cincinnati Masters that he’d so desired, becoming the only tennis player in history to win every title in the masters series. And prior to that he again inscribed his name on the list of champions of the world’s most important tennis tournament – by win- ning Wimbledon. All three great achievements came af- ter the mountain; the same mountain that inspired Paul Cézanne to create many famous paintings. It didn’t even have a name until the 17 th century, but one of its peaks became famous for its huge crucifix, which became the target of many mountaineers. That peak was called the “Croix de Provence”, and was a place that many headed for, through great torment, overcoming their own path, and from there descending different. Nole returned in just that way - different. “We breathed in new inspiration, new motivation. I thought about tennis, about the emotion it awakens in me. And I’m only filled with positive thoughts! I simply felt that I have new breath for this sport. From that instant, tennis has been completely different for me. And in terms of the results,” smiles Đoković, adding after these three great titles, “I think I’ll go mountain hiking again soon” The mountain he climbed with his wife is called “Sainte-Victoire”. Holy Victory. Could the symbolism be more beautiful?
SVETA POBEDA Planina Sen Viktoar nalazi se na ju- gu Francuske, u Provansi. Najviši vrh je na 1.011 metara, ali je pozna- tija po onom piku na kojem se nala- zi već pomenuti Krst Provanse. Oko 700.000 ljudi svake godine pose- ti ovu prelepu planinu – popularne su šetnje, planinarenje, ali i istraživanje pećina. Ovim mestom nije bio impre- sioniran samo Sezan, koji je planinu ovekovečio na mnogim platnima. U njenom podnožju svoj je atelje imao i Pikaso, voleo ju je Kandinski, o njoj se pisalo, pevalo i slikalo…
HOLY VICTORY Montagne Sainte-Victoire is located in the south of France, in Provence. Its high- est peak reaches 1,011m, but it is better known for the peak that boasts the afore- mentioned “Croix de Provence”. About 700,000 people visit this majestic mountain each year – it is popular for hiking, trekking and mountaineering, but also for explor- ing caves. This place not only impressed Cézanne, who immortalised the moun- tain on many canvases, but also Picasso, who had a studio at its base, while Kandin- sky loved it, and it has been the subject of many writings, songs and paintings...
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