Novak Djokovic Makes Sign of the Cross After Winning Olympic Gold Medal in Tennis: 'God is Great'
On his knees and in tears, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic thanked God for winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The athlete's displays of faith at this historic moment have shocked social media platforms.
Considered a tennis legend, the 37-year-old won Olympic gold against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz on August 4, becoming the fifth tennis player in history to achieve the "Golden Slam."
To achieve a Golden Slam, you must win all four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open, and obtain the gold medal at the Olympic Games in the same year.
André Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graff, and Serena Williams are the only tennis players to have achieved this feat in the sport's entire history.
The emotion of this great achievement overwhelmed Djokovic, who could not hold back his tears at the end of the match.
Falling to his knees in the middle of the court, the tennis player made the Sign of the Cross and raised his hands, pointing to the sky.
At the time of the award ceremony, the Orthodox Christian and tennis champion crossed himself before going to the Olympic podium to receive the long-awaited medal.
In addition, at the end of his country's anthem, the tennis player made the Sign of the Cross again and kissed the medal, while raising his gaze to the sky and pointing upwards.
As he stepped onto the court amidst applause, Djokovic repeated, “God is great,” several times.
“God Is Great” - and this, Ladies & Gentlemen is why @DjokerNole is pure class 🥇
— Mandy Gall (@TheMandyGall) August 4, 2024
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Later in an interview, the tennis legend was given a childhood photo of himself with his first coach. As emotions ran high, he recalled how he started in tennis and thanked God for this blessing.
“It was the first time I held a racket, I was four years old, on Kopaonic Mountain in Serbia. It was the first time I fell in love with the sport. It brings me a lot of beautiful emotions. It was a long road, so I am very proud," Djokovic said.
"I feel very grateful to all the people, including my first coach, who helped me fall in love with tennis. I feel very grateful to all the people.
"I thank God for giving me his mercy, for giving me this blessing and this opportunity," Djokovic continued. "Because at that time, it was almost impossible to achieve all these things. But nothing is impossible when you have faith, power, and belief in yourself.”