‘Villain’ Novak Djokovic Started to Gain Fans’ Respect Because of ‘This’ Reason According to Former Rival

Novak Djokovic last lifted a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open and at Wimbledon, he will be aiming to win his eighth title.

‘Villain’ Novak Djokovic Started to Gain Fans’ Respect Because of ‘This’ Reason According to Former Rival

Novak Djokovic (Image via X/ The Tennis Letter)

Novak Djokovic is gearing up for Wimbledon which starts on June 30. The Serb will be bidding to tie the Wimbledon title tally with Roger Federer who retired with eight of these titles, the last of which he won in 2017.

Since 2018, Djokovic progressed to the final of every Wimbledon, losing only in the last two seasons, to five-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz. Ahead of the tournament, Gilles Simon, the former World No.6 and the former coach of 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev told Sport Klub that the Serb, at the beginning of his career was trying to please everyone.

He thinks Djokovic didn’t seem authentic but everything changed during the Covid-19 pandemic when he preferred remaining unvaccinated to win more Grand Slam titles. Simon claimed the tennis world started to respect him more because of this.

Novak was a ‘villain’ in a way at the beginning, but ultimately – and that’s what I like most about Novak – he is who he is and he is consistent in that. For example, what defined Novak for me was his willingness to maybe not break the record for the most Grand Slam titles because he didn’t believe in the vaccine. ‘I’m not going to get vaccinated and that’s it. I’m that strong.’

Simon met Djokovic 12 times but only once he could clinch a win against him. The lone win he registered in their first meeting in Marseille back in 2008.

That’s why many people didn’t like him, he didn’t seem authentic, but at one point it was as if he said: ‘This is who I am, I am Novak Djokovic, you may like me or not, but I know who I am and what I do’. Because of that attitude, he gained a lot of respect from various quarters.

Gilles Simon added

After the vaccination saga, Djokovic started the 2023 season only to end it with seven titles, which included his victories at the Australian Open, the Roland Garros, and the US Open. He came close to completing the Calendar Grand Slam by reaching the Wimbledon final but Alcaraz eked out a five-set win to become a champion there for the first time.

Novak Djokovic practices with Aryna Sabalenka for Wimbledon

While Novak Djokovic will be chasing his 25th Major at Wimbledon, Aryna Sabalenka will be aiming to win her first title in the tournament. She was the semifinalist here twice, in 2021 and 2023.

Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic
Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Francesca)

She skipped the tournament last year due to an injury. Sabalenka and Djokovic share a great camaraderie and even engaged in a fun dancing challenge during the French Open. On the training grounds at Wimbledon, they practiced together, the clips of which have been doing rounds on social media.

Watch the video here:

Sabalenka reached the French Open final for the first time but lost the title to Coco Gauff, who has now taken a 6-5 head-to-head lead. The Belarusian has now lost the two Grand Slam finals this year as before the French Open, she was defeated at the Australian Open by Madison Keys.

While Djokovic has reached the Miami Open final and lifted just the Geneva Open this year, Sabalenka has made it to seven finals, winning three titles: in Brisbane, Miami, and Stuttgart. Before arriving in London, Djokovic did not play any warm-up event on grass.

Sabalenka participated at the Berlin Open to chase her first grass-court title but was defeated in the semifinals by Marketa Vondrousova. If she reaches the Wimbledon final, she could again schedule a clash with Gauff as they will be entering the third Major of the season as the first and second seed, respectively.

Also read: Roger Federer Reveals the Three Most Memorable Matches of his Illustrious Career