‘He is the Robin Hood of tennis,’ Goran Ivanisevic on Novak Djokovic
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Novak Djokovic
Despite World No.1 Novak Djokovic’s dominance on the ATP tour for over a decade and being the frontrunner to as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), the Serb doesn’t get the same fanfare and adulation that his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are bestowed with.
That said, Djokovic has still successfully managed to brush aside all the negative aspects and has only remained focused on shattering records. While, Djokovic often receives poor treatment from the fans across tennis events, he has never complained about the glaring situation.
His coach Goran Ivanisevic too believes that the top-ranked player is not bothered about the disparity in support and treatment. “I think they are going to miss him [when he eventually retires],” Ivanisevic said. “He is never going to have the love of Roger, but I don’t think he cares. Sometimes he needs people against him to feel a little push,” the 2001 Wimbledon champion told the Times.
The Croatian coach further added that once Djokovic is done with his career, fans will surely miss him and crave for his comeback. “He has fans, people love him, but they support Federer more because he came first,” the former Wimbledon winner added. “But you have to appreciate what he does. The guy has won everything. The guy is fighting. They will miss him. They will say, ‘F***, we would like Djokovic to come back.”
Goran believes Novak is being targeted
Ivanisevic also mentioned about how Djokovic is creating a difference for better in the tennis circuit by forming a union to help the younger players.
“Sometimes people only pick out the bad things he does,” Ivanisevic adds. “They don’t see the good he does in helping others. He is the person who is not afraid to speak out, the only tennis player who stands up for the other players. He is the Robin Hood of tennis.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic is now into his 10th semifinal of Wimbledon, where he will take on Denis Shapovalov on Friday. The 34-year-old is also aiming to win his sixth Wimbledon title, which will also bring him his 20th Grand Slam title overall.
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Vivek Krishnan
(767 Articles Published)