By Mallory Mattingly
Tennis player Novak Djokovic dropped to his knees and thanked God after he defeated his opponent in the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
“A beautiful moment as 38-year-old Novak Djokovic defeated defending champion Jannik Sinner, who is 14 years younger, in the Australian Open semifinals. After the victory, Djokovic dropped to his knees and gave all the glory to God,” Christhlete shared alongside a video of the moment on Instagram.
Related: Tennis Champ Thanks God After Last U.S. Open Game
“To be completely honest, what truly helped me during the match were God and the guardian Angels,” the Serbian tennis star said after the match. “In those moments when you no longer feel your legs, when your body gives up…you rely on your faith and hope for that divine intervention.”
“And maybe you won’t believe what I’m saying now, but it has happened to me many times in my career,” Djokovic emphasized. “Moments when I even surprised myself, wondering how I was able to endure it all. It’s possible only if you believe in God, and I take that very seriously. I truly believe that it was God’s presence with me.”
The athlete also thanked those people who doubted if he was still good enough to play at such a high level.
“I never stopped doubting. I’ve never stopped believing in myself,” the 38-year-old said. “There’s a lot of people that doubt me, and I see there’s a lot of experts all of a sudden that wanted to retire me or have retired me many times the last couple of years. But I want to thank them all because they gave me strength. They gave me motivation to prove them wrong, which I have tonight. And for me, it’s not a surprise to be honest. I know what I’m capable of.”
Djokovic went on to face Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open finals on Sunday and ultimately lost.
Djokovic, who is currently ranked as world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), often uses his tennis platform to point people to faith.
In 2011, after donating several million dollars to Serbian public health system and to charities run by the Serbian Orthodox Church, he received the Serbian Orthodox Church’s highest honor.
“This is the most important title of my life, because before being an athlete, I am an Orthodox Christian,” he said at the time.
He is a nine-time Australian Open champion and holds 20 Grand Slam singles titles in all, “tying him with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most won by a man in tennis history,” per Business Standard.
But ultimately, it seems that all his wins don’t compare to his faith in God.
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