Wow it looks like Nole threatened the tournament directors with the gun to give poor Viktor a wild card. Even though I shouldn't be, sometimes I am puzzled at people's lack of basic research and common sense.
Viktor gave an interview for a Serbian newspaper some 2 weeks ago that Nole had been trying to help him get wild cards for some tournaments. They were turned down by many, so they just kept trying. Nole was turned down in Shenzhen, for example, because the only available wild card was given to Murray, so Viktor understood that. He didn't expect anything before he started his Asian trip, so the wild card in Beijing must have been given to him in the last moment, probably because they didn't have anybody "worthier" to give it to.:snigger
They were turned down for wild cards even in challengers, at the beginning of Viktor's comeback, so he had to play the qualies for some challengers. It's not like he didn't have to start from the beginning. Both Viktor and Nole realize that and what starting from scratch means.
I don't think anybody here reads any Serbian so most are probably not aware how all Serbian male tennis players are connected and friends with each other. Nole and Viktor grew up together, they have been friends since Nole was 8 years old. I would guess that Nole knows Viktor pretty well and his comments on the way how ITF and ATP handled Viktor's case are based on solid knowledge of the events. Even though I think that Viktor was extremely naïve, he needed to pay for his foolishness. I can bet that he is not going to even think about asking doctors to postpone his blood test for 2 minutes. Unfortunately sometimes something drastic needs to happen so that people understand the gravity of their situation.
I am actually very proud of Nole for trying to help Viktor. You don't turn your back to your old friend because something he stupidly did. If you don't help in hard times, then what are the friends good for? He took him to South America last year when he had those exhibitions with Rafa. Viktor at that time was pretty depressed and if you are not really strongly willed or don't have proper support a lot of things can go wrong for such a person.
Nole regularly helps young guys Dusan and Filip as well, he takes them on the tour with him and practices with them, gives them advice constantly, advises them on things relevant to the professional tour, recently Nole found a new coach for Filip. I read Serbian news every day so very rarely I miss any news about Nole or other Serbian tennis players. And it was never mentioned by Nole, all this information came from the statements given by these players themselves. I guess Serbian press is interested in them, if nobody else is.
For giving his opinion about how everybody handled Viktor's case, Nole had to endure a 5 hour drug test in the middle of the Davis Cup final (on Saturday), while the doubles match was going on. According to the team doctor Milinkovic, Nole was locked up in a room with a total stranger for 5 hours and had to eat and drink until they were satisfied with the "quality" of his urine on the 4th try of giving it. The doctor's opinion was that it was highly unnecessary and very unprofessional, beyond any codex and ethics of their profession. Nole took it like a man and didn't say a word, never even mentioned it so far. So just in case somebody doubts my claims about this, you are welcome to translate one of the articles at the time via Google: http://www.kurir-info.rs/detalji-mucenja-novaka-dokovic-je-morao-cetiri-puta-da-daje-urin-clanak-1093119
:angel:
