Already a national hero in a country extremely proud of his champions and sporting successes, after the story of the Australian Open Novak Djokovic can seriously start thinking about a political future.
It matters little that he violated the same laws of Belgrade by granting an interview as a positive: Serbia has sided compactly with Nole in these ten days that have upset the career of the tennis player, also fueled by President Aleksandar Vucic, ever closer to national-patriotic positions and eager to make his country the 'top of the class', a sort of regional power in the Balkans.
"Djokovic can go back to Serbia with his head held high and look everyone in the eye," Vucic said after the expulsion order from Australia. A decision accepted as a serious affront, almost a sacrilege towards the number one in world tennis and the whole of Serbia. Belgrade called "scandalous, political, unacceptable", the expulsion of Nole, "harassed and treated like a murderer".
Thousands in recent days have marched for their hero braving the cold. And the press went so far as to recall the NATO air raids against the regime of Slobodan Milosevic and the excessive severity - according to the Serbs - of the Hague Tribunal towards Serbian war crimes compared to Croatian ones.
"Nole, you are the pride of Serbia": this is the giant inscription that for an hour tonight, from 8 pm to 9 pm, was shown together with the colors of the Serbian flag on the Kula Beograd, the 168 meters high tower that has become the new symbol of Belgrade.
In recent years, a poll had revealed that in the event of his candidacy for the presidency of the Republic, Djokovic would win hands down. And from this story, that's what everyone says, it will come out even stronger. At least in Serbia.
(Unioneonline / L)