Haha, I told you. We have created a monster, Nick Kyrgios wrote on Twitter, addressing his compatriots after Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open. No matter how much he exaggerated, the only one on that continent, who last year, in January, stood up for his colleague, remained consistent, and he is not far from the truth, considering what the Serb went through and overcame. off the field.

The "punished" returned to the scene of the crime - the Rod Laver arena, the scene of the unforgettable epic against Rafael Nadal (five hours and 53 minutes) to show that even the unvaccinated is indestructible. Although he won the Grand Slam last year, at Wimbledon, the big (train) return to Melbourne is more significant, because it is his Rubicon. Necessary psychotherapy to keep the traumas of the 2021 US Open disqualification, last year's detention and deportation from Australia, the ban on performances in the US in 2022, the failure to count the ATP points from Wimbledon...

The triumph is several times. Not only because of the number 10 shirts (as many titles as there are in Australia), because of the "22" on the winning jersey (equaling Nadal's record for the number of Grand Slam titles), Djokovic should wear jerseys with many more numbers for which he is unique in the history of men's tennis. For example, with 374 (he started his 374th week at the top of the ATP list), or 93 (the number of ATP titles), that is, 37 (ATP Masters 1.000 trophies), then 9 (the only one to win all nine Masters 1.000" tournaments), 28 – record unbeaten streak in Melbourne... Tied with Roger Federer for most ATP Masters finals won (6). He is the best in direct duels with Nadal (30-29) and Federer (27-23), he has the highest percentage of wins (83,5 percent, i.e. 1.043 wins out of 1.249 matches)...

Despite probably having the greatest physical, mental, and technical-tactical capacity in the world of tennis, despite the admirable attitude towards his own body and health and maintaining the ability to play to the maximum even at that age, this time was the hardest for Djokovic to beat himself, when he no longer had a worthy opponent on the court, because he lost only one set in seven matches. The "25-year-old" Novak needed to overcome the limitations of the 35-year-old body, that is, to keep under control the injuries that come with age and intensity of efforts. A focused Novak in the arena should have been stronger than a stressed Novak due to the events off the court (following the photo of his father Srdjan Djokovic with fans wearing Russian insignia). The self-confident Novak had to overcome the hesitant "second self" pressed by the disbelief in his injury, by the referees admonishing and the spectators throwing when they shouldn't, by everything that could throw him off balance. In order to remain dominant from the basic tennis line from where he sovereignly rules for a decade and a half.

It is no coincidence that the great Mats Wilander said that all those who doubted Novak's injury, further "fed" him to pull out superhuman efforts from deep within himself and fight back with returns in his style. Now it is even stronger, and it is plowed again, as if it were at the beginning! John McEnroe predicts that he will add at least three more Grand Slam titles to his portfolio. Kyrgios is even more optimistic – 28! In that battle, Djokovic starts from the pole position, that is, from the top of the ATP list.

"Rage management" and the matrix with which he controls even the unforeseen, the mental self-exhausting battle ended in - an emotional collapse, as he himself called it. The crescendo of emotional discharge, after scolding the coach, swearing at rude fans, complaints at the referees, came at the end, when the mental armor melted into tears, when the heavy vise in his head was placed on the warm mother's shoulder. There was crying and sobbing that convinced the sports world that the monster, the superman, the "machine" Djokovic is still - just a man!