Things seem to be going uphill with Novak Djokovic. In Miami, the former number one was able to train painlessly for the first time in a felt eternity. And the Serbian also proved his talent on another terrain: as a fairy tale uncle in a children’s museum.
Djokovic himself is the father of a son and a daughter: Stefan (3 years) and Tara (6 months). No wonder that he always shows a special touch when dealing with children. At the beginning of the week, the 30-year-old was invited to visit the children’s museum on Watson Island in Miami. In the end, everyone just wanted to press their “Nole” very hard.
“It was a wonderful experience that I will always remember,” said Djokovic, who read to around 50 children of various ages from the book Pete the cat. In the end, he even asked a little girl on stage. The protagonists and their parents in any case were enthusiastic about the authentic appearance of the famous fairy tale uncle. The tennis star also brought his son Stefan.
Djokovic himself may hope that another unpleasant chapter will not be added to his Florida tale of woe. In the past few days, for the first time in a “long, long time,” he was able to train painlessly, the twelve-time major champion said at his pre-tournament press conference in Miami and said: “I could finally concentrate on the game again and wasn’t distracted by the thought: Is the pain coming back, or not? This feeling in the last days was really refreshing”, among other things, the “Djoker” completed a beating unit with the Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.
Djokovic had already failed at the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells in his opening match against Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel (ATP No. 109). The six-time Melbourne winner had made 61 unforced mistakes, making him feel like he had never held a racquet before. It’s just a horror trip.
After his knockout in the last sixteen At the Australian Open in January against Hyeon Chung (South Korea), Djokovic had decided to undergo surgery on his elbow. In Down Under he had celebrated his comeback after a six-month competition break because of the persistent pain in his arm.
In Miami, at least, the Serb who slipped to 12th place in the world rankings is not one of the favourites. Despite his success in the Sunshine State: He has won the tournament in Crandon Park in Key Biscyane a total of six times – and together with André Agassi is the record holder. The “Sunshine Double”, the combined coups of Indian Wells and Miami, even won “Nole” four times – most recently in 2016.
“At the moment, of course, I haven’t reached the maximum. But I’m working on getting back there. Every day is a progress for me, but also an opportunity to learn to develop – and to become better,” said Djokovic, who will meet either Mischa Zverev (Hamburg) or Frenchman Benoit Paire in the second round of Miami on Friday.