If you caught the men’s French Open tennis final on Sunday, you might have noticed a subtle surprise between games. Serbian tennis sensation and world number one Novak Djokovic, who claimed the grand slam with a commanding performance, was fuelling his victory with dates. Professional athletes are known to obsess over their diets to gain a competitive edge and Djokovic is certainly no different.
Before the French Open, he revealed he no longer eats meat and has long lived without any gluten. So where do his power and stamina come from? The answer appears to be dates. A rich source of energy, vitamins and minerals, dates are one of the oldest superfoods. High in sugar and easy on the stomach, dates are the perfect snack for professional tennis players like Djokovic and an ideal way to break one’s fast during Ramadan.
Dates have long had many positive meanings in Islam. Hours before the start of Ramadan, it was nice to see an endorsement of their health benefits by one of the world’s greatest tennis players.
