While I am a sports fan, tennis comes lower than cricket (ODI Cricket World Cup to begin in India next month) and rugby (Rugby World Cup began in France on Friday) and much to do with the beautiful game (football) all of which have aroused my interest.

We are spoiled for choice with so much going on that we can follow from our own smart devices. But I was especially delighted to learn that Novak Djokovic won the US Tennis singles Open championship yesterday. See “US Open 2023 results: Novak Djokovic wins 24th major by beating Daniil Medvedev” and “US Open 2023: ‘One of sport’s biggest achievements’ – but how far will Novak Djokovic go?” for details.

There is a long list of tennis players I have admired over the years. I have been loosely following tennis since a youth, but this chap is near the top of my list for a reason that will unlikely feature in the list of reasons of most for their tennis favourites. That he now matches Margaret Courts tally of 24 singles victories at the ripe old age of 36 and amidst adversity ought to be reason enough. But to cut to the chase – the guy is a hero for refusing to take the “Jab” even though it cost him a lot financially and he was ridiculed.

It is interesting to note that Margaret Court who played when I first began to follow tennis is also a controversial figure, who in her second career as a church pastor was opposed for affirming marriage should only be between a man a woman. I don’t know enough to know where to place Novak Djokovic on the good guy, bad guy spectrum but his sporting achievement and stand for truth and doing the right thing puts the chap along side Margaret Court in the hero camp, in a world that desperately needs true heroes.