Tennis star Novak Djokovic�s unusual grass-eating celebration proved a gift to headline writers a day after he was crowned Wimbledon champion, but raised eyebrows elsewhere.
Djokovic sank to his knees and nibbled a piece of the Centre Court lawn on Sunday after beating Rafael Nadal to win the men�s singles title, later saying: �I felt like an animal. I wanted to see how it tastes.�
Britain�s newspapers seized upon the bizarre ritual. The tabloid Sun newspaper labeled the Serbian a �Chompion,� while the Daily Telegraph shared the moment that �Djokovic tastes Wimbledon glory.� �Djokovic laps up blades of glory� said the Express.
Wimbledon legend Boris Becker described Djokovic�s celebration as �unique.�
�It�s not the strangest I�ve seen, but it�s certainly a first,� he told CNN. �I�ve seen people kiss the ground, I�ve seen people roll on the ground and I�ve seen people stomp on the ground with their feet, but I�ve never seen anyone do that.�
In the United States, Djokovic�s grassy snack drew comparisons with Les Miles, the coach of the Louisiana State University football team, who has been known to munch on the turf at his team�s Tiger Stadium.
Miles offered his verdict on the tennis player�s celebration on Twitter, posting: �I hear Wimbledon champ likes eating grass too. Hope he enjoyed it. Nothing beats Tiger Stadium grass though.�
Dietary experts say that athletes hoping to emulate Djokovic�s success should be warned that grass isn�t recommended as a breakfast, lunch or dinner of champions. �My first worry is that the grass at Wimbledon might be treated with all sort of chemicals � it certainly isn�t organic,� said Carina Norris, a doctor of nutrition.
�Humans are really not designed to absorb and digest nutrients from grass, which is high in fibre and silica. I do not recommend that he makes it a regular part of his diet. �Sheep and cows have specially designed teeth and digestive systems for eating grass.�
There�s no suggestion yet that grass will replace strawberries and cream as the traditional flavor of Wimbledon, or that Djokovic will make it a permanent fixture of his gluten-free diet, but the the player insists he savored his slice of Center Court. �The grass tasted quite well, really,� he said �It was well kept. It tasted good!�
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