Tennis pro Novak Djokovic will take to the centre court this afternoon in the Wimbledon semi-final.
While there is no denying he knows his stuff when it comes to the sport - currently ranked number three in the world - the pro does see some things very differently against the norm.
The 35-year-old Serbian player has sparked controversy over the years following his outspoken comments on everything from Covid vaccines to his beliefs on his own healing powers.
Like other athletes at the top of their game, he has shown strong determination to work on his mind and body to be in the best condition he can be.
But his commitment to getting there has involved going to some strange lengths, including a bizarre discovery to diagnosing himself with a gluten allergy.
Ahead of his latest Wimbledon performance, here we take a look at Djokovic’s strangest beliefs:
Covid jabs
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More controversial than strange, Djokovic made his stance clear early on in the coronavirus pandemic that he was opposed to vaccination - a rare move in the world of sport.
In January this year, he was unable to defend his title in the Australian Open after not meeting sufficient entry requirements amid Covid in being unvaccinated.
He was deported from the country after judges rejected a challenge by the tennis star in response to the government cancelling his visa on "health and good order" grounds.
Djokovic said he was "extremely disappointed" but accepted the ruling.
While scientists have shown the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine in reducing hospital admissions and deaths from the virus, Djokovic proclaimed he would not be taking up the jab.
"Personally I am opposed to vaccination and I wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel," he said back in April 2020.
Clarifying, he added: "My issue here with vaccines is if someone is forcing me to put something in my body that I don't want."
Going gluten-free
His beliefs on holistic health go way back before Covid times to 2010.
During a time when he was struggling with his performance in the court, he diagnosed himself as having a wheat intolerance and from thereon banished gluten from his diet following a strange test.
While most people concerned they have allergies will head to their GP, Djokovic's discovery came about by seeing how he reacted to having white bread near his body.
The tennis pro was put in touch with Dr Igor Cetojevic, a 'specialist in energetic medicine', through a mutual friend. When they met in Croatia, the specialist doctor asked Djokovic to stretch out his left arm while pressing the bread against his stomach.
Djokovic reported his arm felt "noticeably weaker" when in close proximity to gluten.
Mind powers
He once hired a coach, Pepe Imaz, who reportedly taught him about telepathy and levitation - and whose techniques include extremely long hugs.
In 2018, Djokovic confirmed he firmly believed people were gifted with telepathic powers in an interview with Shortlist magazine.
He said: "You have this thing called telepathy, right? Or this thing called telekinesis, or instinct, intuition.
“I feel like [these] are the gifts from this higher order, the source, the god, whatever, that allows us to understand the higher power and higher order in ourselves."
He also believes in the power of cleansing polluted water with the mind.
During an Instagram Live, Djokovic claimed: "I know some people that through that energetical transformation, through the power of prayer, through the power of gratitude, they managed to turn the most toxic food or maybe most polluted water into the most healing water, because water reacts … molecules in the water react to our emotions, to what is being said."
Self-healing
Djokovic is a firm believer in holistic health and alternative medicines compared to conventional science.
As a very spiritual person, he incorporates meditation into this daily routine.
"Meditation is really important to me; it is one of the main points in my day-to-day, not only in training or in my tennis career," he once said.
He argues he can find strength in his own body to fight off a virus or injury, however, following a problem with his elbow in 2018, he had to succumb to a hospital operation.
The star was so distraught over his failure to find his own cure through natural medicine that he cried for three days after waking up from the op.
"Every time I thought about what I did, I felt like I had failed myself," he told the Telegraph at the time.
Broadcaster and former professional tennis player Mary Carillo blasted his remarks.
Speaking on The Tennis Channel, she said: "We know that he believes in meditation, in prayer, in holistic healing.
"He hated that he had to get his elbow cut, he tried to stave that off for a long time because he genuinely thought he could heal his own body.
"I’m very disturbed that Djokovic and that other guy are saying you can change toxic water to drinking water.
"This is dangerous stuff and when I looked at it … it already had half a million hits. I really hope he backs down from that."
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