Novak Djokovic is not a man who is easily impressed.
The Serbian tennis player is one of the best athletes in the world and has been for nearly the past two decades.
His 24 Grand Slam victories are the most of any player in the Open Era of tennis, surpassing the likes of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and American Pete Sampras.
On Sunday, though, a different American made the generally stoic and dry-witted Djokovic rise from his seat in disbelief at what he was witnessing on the ice rink at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy.
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Ilia Malinin had the pressure of the world on his shoulders as he entered his free skate program to close the weekend. His USA squad was tied with Japan in the team figure skating competition, and if he didn’t pull out all the stops, they’d be walking away with silver.
After an up-and-down short program the day prior, Malinin skated with aggression on Sunday.
Not only did he execute multiple quadruple jumps to show why he’s nicknamed the “Quad God,” but he also threw out a backflip that he landed on one foot, which brought the crowd and the tennis legend out of their seats.
Djokovic couldn’t believe what he just witnessed alongside his wife, his mind being blown by the ease with which Malinin landed a move that millions around the world had never seen before that weekend.
The internet also couldn’t hold back its amazement at the American skater. Although figure skating diehards already know of Malinin’s special physical gifts, the first-time viewers tuning in for the Olympics couldn’t understand how they’d never heard of the 21-year-old world champion before.
Djokovic and the rest of the world will be tuning in again on Tuesday night as Malinin takes the ice again in his quest to win double gold in Milan.
He enters the men’s individual competition as the heavy favorite to win, and after how he performed on Sunday, it’s easy to see why.
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