Djokovic: Wimbledon grass is gluten free

Did you see what Novak Djokovic did and said after winning the Wimbledon men's singles championship yesterday? He decided to eat a blade of the grass court and then said this, according to the London Daily Mail:

"I was assured it was gluten free, it's not processed, completely organic and natural and I could eat it ... So I had no reaction."

I thought that was a pretty good joke, but I've been disturbed about the coverage of Djokovic's gluten-free diet over the past few years. Sportswriters are always writing about how his game improved after he started going gluten free, suggesting the myth that a gluten-free diet is some kind of fitness program. But they never mention his history.

Djokovic used to feel very sickly all the time and while he was never diagnosed with celiac (I have never been able to find out if he's been tested), he at least was diagnosed with non-celiac gluten intolerance. So he went gluten free and started feeling much better, and his tennis game improved.

I would cut him some slack, but Djokovic wrote this book two years ago: "Serve to Win," subtitled "the 14-day gluten-free plan for physical and mental excellence."

It makes me want to scream.

By the way, if you watch the baseball all-star game tomorrow night and Mark Teixeira gets in the game, I'm sure you'll hear the announcers tell you how his turnaround season has been helped by his new gluten-free diet. I have not seen anything indicating he went gluten free for any kind of intolerance.

Ugh.