Thread by @Yolitatennis

LONG THREAD/THERAPEUTIC RANT 😇

OPEN LETTER FOR NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Absolute, undiluted love ❤️ for @DjokerNole

WARNING: What follows is a tribute to my favourite player, the best player I have been fortunate enough to see in action in a lifetime of watching tennis: Mr Novak Djokovic.

You have been warned.

If you don't like Novak, walk away now or forever hold your peace. 😉😇

Dear Novak,

It has been announced that you will not take a WC for Queens/Halle. I can understand that: you need time to rest and heal, as we all do.

I cannot imagine how sad you are after the shambles that Roland Garros turned out to be.

I hope you're not too disillusioned.

We all thought Roland Garros would be aware of the potentially historic final they could have and make sure that scheduling would not ruin it.

They did the opposite. They absolutely refused to have a Monday final.

You knew you would have to play 4 days in a row against a rested Rafa if you managed to beat Dominic. After what had happened in Rome, you knew it would be an exercise in futility. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It is not an exaggeration to say I was devastated: yet another "unlucky" schedule for you.

I can't remember the last time Roger or Rafa were sent to play at 42C heat, or had their matches interrupted because of darkness or rain or were scheduled to start 9 hours after their respective opponents or were refused a change of court even though there was one available.

That never seems to happen to them. 🤷🏻‍♀️

We also saw tennis media spread lies on TV, on social networks, on printed news outlets... they kept at it, even after clarification from organisers. They incited hate. And people responded with hate, of course.

It is so very tiring. 😔

And yet, this is something that you must be used to by now. You have taken it in your stride time and again. Maybe you haven't seen a table I compiled of all the tennis results in the last 12.5 years.

Here it is.

Check it out. These are just numerical results. They don't capture the enormity of some of your achievements, like the way you beat Fedal into submission in 2011 and wrested the #1 from them, like winning 4 Grand Slams in a row, like winning all the Masters events...

Not only have you dominated every aspect of the game since you were a teenager: you have done it the hard way. You have faced many more top players than Fedal, with bad scheduling, with hostile crowds and pressers.

Yet you have beaten them. Yet you have dominated. 🤷🏻‍♀️😍

And as if all this domination on court was not enough, you are also leading the players in a fight for better working conditions for all, not just for a few.

You're taking on the establishment, on and off the court.

You truly win at life. 😍😘❤️

After Paris, I could understand if you feel dispirited, if you struggle with motivation.

The vitriol we witnessed, the deliberate lying&spreading of false information, the hate&disrespect towards a player who was on the verge of achieving something historic was hard to swallow.

But one has to see the bigger picture.

You are playing for history.

The numbers on my table will not go away, however much retroactive tweaking is done.

Numbers make the rewriting of history much harder.

Eventually a fair assessment of all your achievements will be done.

The left column on my table would be all green with a win at Wimbledon. 😍😘

Come on, Novak, keep making it hard for pundits to distort reality.

Another thing you must always keep in mind is how popular you are in the whole world and how inspiring your story is for many people.

Thanks to you countless children from small countries believe that they can make it in tennis&dare to dream about it.

Remember how you were received in Acapulco? The love from the crowds? It's the same everywhere.

Anglo pundits are a loud minority. The world is bigger.

Most people don't buy the smear campaigns orchestrated against you. We were not born yesterday. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I remember one of my nephews,together with his school football team, being shown the video of the 2015 USO final, by their coach. As an example of sporting prowess&fighting spirit.

His eyes were shining with admiration when he told us about it, and how excited they all were. The coach used you as a paradigmatic example of what an elite athlete is, even when facing 20,000 hooligans baying for blood, on top of a first class opponent.

So many memories... 🤧

So it's time for another battle. 💪🔥

We know what to expect: the British press will spring a "controversy" about you, like they do before every slam, particularly AO and Wimbledon. They've done it for years. 😴🤷🏻‍♀️

But you are defending champion, so your half will start first.😀

Remember Stefan cheering you when you won last year. Maybe Tara will be old enough this year.

You can win this, @DjokerNole

Yes, you can. 💥🔥✨💫

You have given your fans so much happiness over the years, joy to last us a lifetime. We shouldn't be asking for anything else.

Yet here I am, asking for one more Wimbledon win. 😍❤️💪💥👏😘

It'd be lovely if you could make it harder for pundits to keep ignoring the results of the last 13 years to present a false reality. 😀

You owe us NOTHING, @DjokerNole

We love you forever. ❤️💛💚💙💜💗

But should you choose to keep up the good fight, know that millions all over the world are watching you, supporting you, being inspired by your story, dreaming with you.

Let's get ready for what they have prepared for you.

THIS IS SPARTA!!!

👏💜🔥💙💥💚👊💗

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