Novak Djokovic following Michael Jordan’s ‘I took it personally’ path to fuel himself for the big titles believes analyst Gill Gross  

Novak Djokovic apparently uses the negativity around him to play better.

Novak Djokovic following Michael Jordan’s ‘I took it personally’ path to fuel himself for the big titles believes analyst Gill Gross  

Michael Jordan and Novak Djokovic (Image via: Open source)

In the world of sports, many players are usually compared to other athletes in different sports. Novak Djokovic has been the one player in tennis who is very often compared to other players or vice versa. Recently, tennis analyst Gill Gross compared the attitude of the Serb to that of the legendary Michael Jordan. 

Gill Gross is a tennis analyst for the Tennis Channel and the US Open, and he usually spits facts about the player’s performance and games. Back in 2020, a documentary featuring the winning mentality of Michael Jordan was released, where the basketball legend spoke about his winning ways and how he takes things personally to do better. 

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The tennis analyst Gross thinks that Jordan feeds off the negativity on and off the court to rise even higher and compares that attitude to that of Novak Djokovic.

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When he said that, I took it personally.' He said 'I took it personally' so many times in the documentary The Last Dance. Novak also takes things personally. He's completely in this state of mind where he's going to find whatever fuel he can.
Said Gill Gross via WeLove Tennis

Anyone following tennis would know that Djokovic only does better in a game if the audience is against him or if he is extremely agitated on the court. This proves the point made by Gross that the Serb is following in the path of the basketball great.

Gill Gross believes that Novak Djokovic will continue to break records as long as the public is present

Gill Gross, the tennis analyst, sheds light on Novak Djokovic and how his attitude and mindset are similar to those of basketball great Michael Jordan.

The basketball star is known for his iconic reign in the game, but the fans connected more with him after his documentary was released a few years ago. From the film, Gill Gross learned that both players feed off the negativity around them and use it to perform even better.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Via belN sports)
He will therefore continue to find sources of motivation of this kind as long as he can. Not only in the long term when it comes to breaking records, even in the short term during a match with the public for example.
Said the tennis analyst on Novak Djokovic

This year itself, the tennis world noticed how Djokovic bounced back from a loss with the audience at their best. He tends to interact with the crowd, which fuels the World No. 1 to play even better. With this kind of attitude, Gross believes that Djokovic has the potential to do even better.

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