Standing man

I was very sad to see Novak Djokovic lose in the Wimbledon men’s singles semi-finals. He is a very talented and skilled player, who has inspired countless young players, across the world.

It was in Dubai, that over a decade ago, he had said, he could top the tennis world by defeating the reigning heroes. I was present in the Dubai tennis stadium at that time, and seen him play and win. Very few of us then believed him. Federer and Nadal were undefeatable. They were the icons of tennis. And, yet Novak did rise to the top.

Novak is a great inspiration in achieving and not giving up.

I sincerely hope that he will continue playing tennis and will not retire. The Wimbledon defeat is minuscule, compared to his manifold achievements and crowns. So, he should just rest for a while and then tie his laces tightly again.

Novak should remember that defeat and setbacks come to all of us, in every field of human endeavour. Yet, we cannot ever give up. Defeat happens, but does not necessarily happen again. Even if it does, we have to remain standing. A winner is defined as a “Standing Man”. We should always be standing men, who never give up, be it in tennis or any other field of human pursuit.

Rajendra Aneja
Mumbai, India