Novak Djokovic comes under fire for attending lecture by archeologist Semir Osmanagic 

Novak Djokovic took advantage of his day off between matches at the Srpska Open in Banja Luka to attend a lecture by archeologist Semir Osmanagic. The Mayor of Banja Luka, Drasko Stanivukovic, was also present at the event.

Semir Osmanagic is infamous for his widely refuted claims about the hills in the Visoko region of Bosnia and Herzegovina being the largest human-made ancient pyramids on earth.

Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Srpska Open with a straight-sets loss to compatriot Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinals. Prior to that match, Djokovic was spotted with Osmanagic at the latter's lecture.

This was not the first meeting between Djokovic and Osmanagic. Back in 2020, the World No. 1 had visited the pyramids in question alongside Osmanagic.

Drasko Stanivukovic, the Mayor of Banja Luka, shared some pictures of Novak Djokovic at the lecture. Stanivukovic claimed that the audience was learning about "energy secrets hidden by ancient civilizations."

"With our @DjokerNole at a great lecture by Dr. Semir Osmanagic about the energy secrets hidden by ancient civilizations, about the way of life and the spiritual potential of every human being. It was a great open-minded pleasure to hear some new insights," the tweet read.

Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg reshared the news of Djokovic's presence at the event and highlighted some of the theories put forth by Osmanagic.

"ATP #1 Novak Djokovic spent his day between matches in Banja Luka attending a lecture by pseudo archaeologist Semir Osmanagic. Osmanagic claims, among other things, that secret pyramids in Bosnia emit powerful energy waves that communicate with aliens via a "cosmic internet"," Rothenberg tweeted.

While Semir Osmanagic has obtained a doctoral degree in social sciences, he lacks any scientific background in the field of archeology. Apart from his claims about the Bosnian pyramids, Osmanagic has also theorized the existence of "standing waves" on top of the pyramids, which he claims move faster than light and are evidence of a "cosmic internet" that enables intergalactic communication.

Osmanagic believes in the theory of ancient astronauts and has often stated that humans are the result of genetic manipulation. Osmangic's claims have been disproved by professional archeologists, geologists and the scientific community at large.

Novak Djokovic will compete at the Madrid Open next

Novak Djokovic has made a slow start to the clay court season. Following his early exits from the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Srpska Open, the World No. 1 will be looking to bounce back strongly at the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid Open, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, April 26.

In 2022, Djokovic defeated Gael Monfils in his opening match before getting a walkover from Andy Murray in the next round. He then eased past Hubert Hurkacz but fell to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.

Djokovic has won the Madrid Open on three previous occasions - in 2011, 2016 and 2019.

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