[imagesource: Twitter / @DamianReilly]

He may one day overtake Rafa Nadal’s 22 singles men’s Grand Slam titles, and has already overtaken Roger Federer, but Novak Djokovic will never be as universally loved as that duo.

The Serbian maestro has made peace with that, along with the fact that he may miss Grand Slams because he chooses not to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

He’s always been a little different from many others players on tour, to be fair. Let’s not forget this is a man who has in the past said he believes you can purify water with your mind.

Djokovic is apparently very guarded about what he puts in his body. This also extends to a specially mixed drink he regularly knocks back during matches.

During his Paris Masters semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, the degree of secrecy about the contents of his bottle went to the next level, reports The Sydney Morning Herald:

…footage of a member of Novak Djokovic’s trusted team mixing a concoction on the sidelines at the Paris Masters – and then trying to conceal their actions from prying eyes – was always going to send the internet into a spin.

The footage shows Djokovic’s physiotherapist Ulises Badio, captured via a fan’s mobile phone, pulling together a mix from his courtside seat, which was then transferred to the Serbian on court.

What has really set tongues wagging is how Djokovic’s entourage attempts to shield Badio from onlookers and cameras as he mixes the drink:

Can anyone who knows tennis explain what is going on here, and why it’s being done this way? It looks amazingly dodgy. pic.twitter.com/xoJHBLmTzA

— Damian Reilly (@DamianReilly) November 6, 2022

In the past, Djokovic has openly joked about the drink, which he himself called a “magic potion”.

After his 2022 Wimbledon final win over Nick Kyrgios, the Serb told reporters that he planned to release it as a supplement or sports drink.

Earlier this year, he also appeared to ‘inhale’ or eat unmixed energy powder during a match, which is something other players have confirmed doing.

Nobody is going to be daft enough to imbibe something illegal on the court in front of a crowd and in the midst of regular testing, by the way.

[source:smh]