hands of god

At the "Aztec" stadium in Mexico City on June 22, 1986, Diego Armando Maradona scored two memorable goals in Argentina's victory over England in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. The second was declared the goal of the XNUMXth century, and the first was remembered as the biggest hoax in football history.

- I gave it a little bit with the head of Maradona, and a little bit with the hand of God - said the Argentinian magician at the press conference after the match, who later admitted that he called his teammates to start celebrating with him as soon as possible, so that the referee would not "break through" the net He shook Peter Shilton's hand.

Those words of one of the best football players of all time immediately gave the name to the famous goal, which has since been called the Hand of God (Mano de Dios) and which the Argentines have sung countless times.

Exactly 11 months after the famous release of Maradona in the capital of Mexico, in the capital of the then SFR Yugoslavia, a guy was born to whom the whole Earth bowed on the night between Sunday and Monday, a guy who was rightly asked on "Eurosport" if he was from this planet , who can easily be said to have "Manos de Dios" - the hands of God. Novak Djokovic.

The best tennis player of all time won the US Open in a spectacular final Danilo Medvedeva 6:3, 7:6, 6:3 and equaled the only major record he had left to break - he won his 24th Grand Slam title, tying him with Margaret Court. But it seems that those two feats cannot be measured, because the 36-year-old Serbian ace won all those cups in the so-called golden era of tennis, and the legendary Australian 13 in the amateur, and 11 in the open era, when professionals are also allowed to compete in the four biggest tournaments.

The manner in which Djokovic reached his fourth crown in New York delighted everyone. He started the match phenomenally, won the first set practically at the start, when he led 3:0, and got into big problems in the second. He somehow survived two marathon games, saved a break chance in the eighth game and a set-point in the 12th game, and at times it seemed that he could barely stand on his feet, as the long points took the breath away from both him and the Russian.

In the tie-break, he lost 3:1, but came back to life, finishing it with three tied points for 7:5, which practically put an end to the final. In the 3rd set, even Medvedev didn't believe that he could turn it around, even when he won back the break for 3:2, because he succumbed again in the next game.

Immediately after the final, social networks "lit up", congratulations came from all over, and perhaps the most important one came from "Marka". A respectable Spanish sports paper without a trace of jealousy, to which it has sometimes been understandably prone, as it favors Nolet's biggest rival Rafael Nadal and the new star Carlos Alcaraz, briefly and clearly stated:

"The debate is over. Novak Đoković, simply GOAT", announced "Marka" with a goat emoticon, which in English is called goat, which is an abbreviation for Greatest of All Time.

After winning the title, Novak cried, emotionally hugged his family, and then made a move that delighted the whole world - he wore a shirt with the number 24, the inscription "Mamba Forever" and a photo of him and Kobe Bryant. The legendary basketball player was a great friend of Djokovic, who helped him overcome difficult moments in 2017 and 2018, when he was thinking of ending his career due to a serious elbow injury and struggling to return to the biggest stage.

- I thought of this shirt for the first time last week and a few days ago I told people from my team to try to make it for me, that I would have it if I won the title. Kobi was my close friend, conversations with him helped me a lot, to understand the winning mentality, how to come back after injuries. His death affected me a lot, and he was wearing a jersey with the number 24, and I think this was a nice, symbolic moment to pay tribute to him - said Đoković, with ovations at "Artur Eš".

Medvedev took the defeat hard, but at the victory ceremony he paid great tribute to his rival and asked him, a little in jest, a little in truth, when he plans to retire.

- First of all, let me ask Novak - what are you doing here and beyond? I don't know when you plan to slow down a bit - the Russian said with a smile.

Djokovic admitted that making history is an additional motive for him, and he knows what his goals are - Olympic gold in Paris and titles at the Grand Slams. In the last five major tournaments, he won four titles and lost the Wimbledon final and it is clear that he will not stay at this number 24.

- Writing history in this sport is special in every possible sense of the word. When I was seven or eight years old, I only dreamed of winning Wimbledon, but when I won my first major cup, I started to dream new dreams. But I couldn't have dreamed this even in my wildest dreams - Djokovic said.