SPIEGEL International
"Street Fighter, Artist and Patriot: Tennis
Star Djokovic Is the Pride of New Serbia"
written by: Maik Grossekathofer
Published: 7 October 2011 Accessed: 18 March 2012
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Brief Summary of the Article:
Novak Djokovic and his family fled Serbia in the wake of the late 1990s NATO Operation against his homeland. The international tennis star committed himself to excellence in his sport. "The war also made me a better tennis player because I swore to myself that I'd prove to the world that there are good Serbs, too." Serbia, in a way of trying to overcome the negative images of its recent past, has clung to the success of Djokovic as a symbol of the positive things that can come from Serbia.
Your Thoughts, Comments, and/or Reaction:
As Serbia is trying to rebrand its image, especially with its candidacy for membership within the European Union. However, Djokovic's success does more than simply help a country with a bad image rebrand itself. He serves as a symbol of hope and unity to the people themselves on how, even through the negative times, something great can come forward. While Djokovic's success in tennis might change the image that outsiders have of Serbia it probably does much more to change how Serbians perceive of themselves.
Article's Relation to "Culture"
Sporting events and competition are significant parts of culture. While tennis may not provide a typical nationalistic upswell as other team focused sports do (such as soccer), it can still help provide national heroes with whom a country's citizenry can look at as a symbol of their international prestige..