Serbian Tennis Champ Kneels in Praise After Gold Medal Win
By Movieguide® Contributor
On Sunday, after Serbian Novak Djokovic won Gold in his match against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic kneeled over in a posture of praise before making the sign of the cross and lifting his hands to God.
After the match, a reporter asked him, ”What should you gain in the court tomorrow?”
The 37-year-old pulled out a cross necklace from beneath his shirt, lifted it and said, “That’s it.” He then kissed the necklace, and said, “That’s what you should gain. Pray to God. Everything will be ok.”
He later said, “I’m super-grateful to win a historic gold medal for my country, to complete the Golden Slam, to complete all the records.”
With 24 Grand Slam wins, Djokovic holds the record for the most Slam titles in men’s tennis. He’s been a pro player since he was 16 years old.
Time reported about his Olympic win, “The win comes a few weeks after Alcaraz routed Djokvic in straight sets at the Wimbledon final. ‘I feel like I’m a different player than I was at Wimbledon,’ Djokovic said before the final. ‘The way I move, the way I’m striking the ball. Not to take anything away from him winning the Wimbledon finals, he was dominating and deservedly a winner, but I feel more confident about myself and my chances in the finals.’”
When Djokovic defeated Lorenzo Musetti in the Paris semi-finals, he kissed his necklace then, too.
He said, “That’s what needs to happen. I pray to God that everything will be alright.”
Movieguide® recently reported on another Olympic tennis player’s immense faith:
Nineteen-year-old American tennis pro Coco Gauff thanked God and her church after winning the Mubadala Citi DC Open women’s final less than a month after her first-round Wimbledon loss.
“First, I’d like to thank my Father, God for this,” Gauff said. “After losing in first-round Wimbledon, it was a tough situation. You know, a lot of prayer and a lot of support from my church family. So thank you to Him and those who support me.”
Gauff defeated world No. 9 Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 to take home the title. The Mubadala Citi DC Open marks Gauff’s fourth singles title and the first WTA-500 win of her career.
