[imagesource: Reuters]

Novak Djokovic will go down in history as one of the finest men’s tennis players of all time.

His prowess on the court is clear for all to see, but it’s some of his thoughts off it that have been grabbing headlines of late.

In April, he stated his opposition to being forced to take a COVID-19 vaccine (should one become available) in order to travel and play tennis.

Many eyebrows were raised, and one of Serbia’s leading epidemiologists accused his countryman of “creating misconceptions”, but those who have followed his career closely wouldn’t have been all that surprised.

Djokovic has already made news for some of his questionable comments in years gone by, but during the coronavirus pandemic he’s really stepped things up.

I reckon we’re almost at the point where he shares Plandemic, and then you know. By the way, here’s a good way to respond to friends who share that video.

Back to water mind purification, and Djokovic’s web series called ‘The Self Mastery Project’. He has chatted with a range of guests, some of whom have covered topics like visualising success and setting routines.

No harm there, but then he recently hosted Chervin Jafarieh, the founder of a company called CYMBIOTIKA, which punts expensive herbal supplements with little to no basis in science.

During that chat, Djokovic began to talk about how humans can change the molecular composition of water with their emotions.

Look at the video at the bottom of this Twitter thread, and skip to the 45-second mark:

To be clear, Djokovic himself was the one who first introduced this stuff about water changing from emotions into the conversation on his Instagram, saying that mindfulness can make unhealthy food more nutritious, and that dinner table arguments can make good less nutritious. pic.twitter.com/LyJbJTvb9W

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) May 7, 2020

Uh oh.

Here’s a summary of what he said via USA Today:

“I’ve seen people and I know some people that, through that energetical [sic] transformation, through the power of prayer, through the power of gratitude, they manage to turn the most toxic food or the most polluted water, into the most healing water,” Djokovic said…

He went on: “Because water reacts and scientists have proven that, that molecules in the water react to our emotions, to what is being said.”

Has science proven this? Well, I guess that depends on your definition of proof.

Djokovic and Jafarieh are referring to the work of Japanese pseudo-scientist writer Masaru Emoto, whose 2004 book, ‘The Hidden Messages in Water’, became a bestseller.

That book talked about how water is deeply connected to a person’s consciousness, but the conclusions Emoto draws have never been able to be replicated in any lab.

Emoto even declined to participate in an event where reproducing the results he wrote about would score him a $1 million payday.

Given the size of his platform, and the volume of people he reaches through his web series, what Djokovic talks about should be put under scrutiny.

Just another reason to root for Roger and Rafa when tennis resumes.

[source:usatoday]