‘Pakistan mein hota toh…’ – Former Pakistan opener’s bold statement on Novak Djokovic post Australian Open

Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis players in history, made history on Sunday by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to win his 10th Australian Open championship. Salman Butt, a former Pakistan cricketer, posted an amusing statement on his YouTube channel on Djokovic’s accomplishment when he was 35 years old. Butt emphasized how Djokovic’s life might have been different if he had been playing cricket in Pakistan at this time, when he was 35 years old.

“Shukr hai wo tennis khel skta hai. Pakistan mein hota to 30 saal se upar cricket nahi khel skta tha (Good that he plays tennis. If he was in Pakistan he wouldn’t have been able to play cricket after turning 30),” said Butt in a video on his YouTube channel.

“He wouldn’t have been able to play even after scoring three hundreds,” said the presenter who was on the video alongside Butt.

“That was our old setup. Don’t know what kind of people were they. Would themselves continue to play even after being 45 or 50 but to others, they would say you can’t play as you are over 30,” the former Pakistan opener asserted.

This has been one of the most difficult tournaments, considering the circumstances: Novak Djokovic

Djokovic, who won his 22nd Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open, recovered the top spot in the ATP rankings, which were revealed on Monday. The 35-year-old Serbian moved up four spots to beat off Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, who slid to second after missing the competition due to injury.

Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece passed Casper Ruud of Norway to take third place, matching a level that he first attained in August 2021. Tsitsipas, who fell to Djokovic in straight sets in the final on Sunday in Melbourne, matched a career-high ranking.

“This has been one of the most difficult tournaments, considering the circumstances. not playing last year and coming back this year. I want to thank all the people who made me feel comfortable,” Djokovic said after collecting the trophy.