Reaching the finals in any tournament is a big deal. However, after going through all the stages of the competition, one side will, unfortunately, see their effort go to waste in the finals.

Such was the experience of Novak Djokovic in the 2007 Indian Wells Masters. The Serb reached the final of the Indian Wells for the first time but was defeated by Rafael Nadal in the final. However, he accepted the defeat with grace and gave his speech with his usual humor. The video of the speech was recently uploaded on Twitter as a throwback.

In a sad turn of events, Nole, who has won the Indian Wells five times, has withdrawn from this year’s tournament. Djokovic was denied a visa on account of his being unvaccinated.

Novak Djokovic’s hilarious speech at the first Indian Wells final

After his defeat, the Serb was not discouraged. He still seemed to keep his composure and accepted the runner-up prize. He started by saying he was excited as it was his first big speech. Djokovic then added that it was also a big honor for him to receive a trophy from a legend as prominent as Boris Becker.

In usual Djokovic fashion, he continued with a joke. The Djoker said that when he was being given milk by his mother, he watched Becker win the Wimbledon. The reaction to the joke was positive as everyone present laughed loudly.

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“First of all, I would like to say that I am very excited because this is my first big speech. Second of all, I cannot describe the feeling and what a big honour it is to receive a trophy from a big legend, Boris Becker. Thank you very much. You know, when my mother was giving me the milk, I was watching Boris winning the Wimbledon and now he’s giving me a trophy.”

Djokovic withdraws from Indian Wells

After a lot of speculation, the ‘Serbinator’ has withdrawn from the Indian Wells Masters this year. Djokovic was denied a visa since he did not get the vaccine for COVID-19.

Djokovic even applied for exemption from the vaccine status just for his Indian Wells and Miami Open ATP events. However, his request was denied by the US government..

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There has been a lot of outrage regarding this incident. While most eminent personalities from the world of tennis and media have spoken out in support of Djokovic, there is a section of tennis fans who agrees with the US government’s decision to deny him entry due to his unvaccinated status.

Djokovic missing out on this year’s Indian Wells Master and Miami Open is a sad state of affairs.

Hopefully, the current line-up of players will give us some exciting matches. Who do you think will prevail in this year’s tournament?