I have just found out there is a podcast where top athletes are questioned while sitting in ice. It’s called « Cold as Balls », Kevin Hart asks the questions, and Novak Djokovic is the guest of an upcoming episode.
Silly question, but: why the ice? I asked around the newsroom. I was told it’s the concept. I asked what a concept was. I was told it’s the principle. Apparently it’s perishing in there, and I wanted to know how many degrees: nobody at the newsroom could tell me.
Then I watched the clip. Hart asks: « Have you taken any of the young players under your wing? » And instead of answering, Djokovic asks a question back: « I think everyone who follows tennis, Sinner and Alcaraz, you know how they play, right? You know their styles? Who do they look like? » Hart says: « You? » Djokovic says: « So for me, that’s the best compliment. » Hart adds: « You, I’m very serious. »
Second silly question. « Taking someone under your wing », I thought that meant advice, practice sessions, a phone call on a Sunday. Here it seems to work from a distance and without warning: you play, someone watches you, and years later their game looks like yours. I checked, and actually nobody knows at what exact moment that counts as passing something on.
Jean-Pol, who I showed the video to, didn’t need to check anything.
Right, it’s very simple: in cold water, people always tell the truth. Me, I’ve always spoken at room temperature, and maybe that’s why nobody calls.
Djokovic finishes with: « If I’ve managed to leave a mark, I’m happy, because that’s exactly the point. » He has 24 Grand Slam titles, so he must have left a few marks before that particular bath. Anyway, I still have a lot to learn.
It’s true, we checked: We Love Tennis.
