Novak Djokovic’s emotional side towards fag end of his career quashes all ‘untrue’ prevalent beliefs about his demeanor

Novak Djokovic continues to put out his emotional side out in the open as he remains the sole active player from the famed Big-3 playing this season.

Novak Djokovic’s emotional side towards fag end of his career quashes all ‘untrue’ prevalent beliefs about his demeanor

Novak Djokovic (Credits: Fox News)

There is a difference between a winner and a champion. A winner wins, while a champion does it over and over again. Win, rinse, repeat, win, process it, win, keep the momentum going. In tennis, there are winners and there are champions. Out there, in the middle at the French Open, there is plenty of chatter and banter.

Danill Medvedev bombed at the box office, his clay connection, not like what a potter has with mud. Medvedev lost, more in the mind and heart than the slippery tennis courts. It requires patience, resilience, and the willingness to win points slowly to conquer clay. Medvedev lacked all of it. Well, that was kind of expected. How about Novak Djokovic, supposed to win his 23rd Grand Slam title and become the man with the maximum number of singles Grand Slam titles.

Seems easier said than done, for, there are any number of guys out there who can go out there and win on clay. The old relics are falling apart, Stan Wawrinka included. Novak, too, is a relic. He never looked old, he never gave an impression that one day he would talk of his own future — short or long. All of a sudden, the Serb has become kind of emotional, not the Novak we knew, a stone minus emotion.

When he talks of how the Big 3 dominated and how the legacy is now dissipating, it makes you wonder, or ponder. The Serbian hero, whose words on Kosovo have stirred the hornet’s nest, did nothing wrong. These days, making political statements on the tennis tour, notably at the Grand Slams, is in vogue. You can warn Novak, you can politely tell him, please do not utter words that are apolitical.

In case you missed it: Holger Rune dismisses Carlos Alcaraz’s French Open chances ahead of a potential clash, chooses Novak Djokovic as favorite in Rafael Nadal’s absence

Novak Djokovic becoming more and more sentimental

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Credits: The Australian)

Well, that is the job of the organizers, as they are supposed to maintain a neutral status! Damn, all that is on paper. The tennis world is certainly not apolitical. It never was. There was always mention of nations and notions, color, and there was always talk of war, wherever it was. How do you forget, when 9/11 happened, every sport had been hit, and every player choked.

Today, to think Russia versus Ukraine is going to keep the tennis players quiet is like asking a male or female player to pretend to be deaf. Players are humans, players have emotions. And, players will express their feelings, for they are away from home for so long, there will be emotions to express. The media, too, will grill players, be it Russians or Ukrainians, or Belarussians. It depends on how the moderator handles the interviews.

Tennis is played in a democratic sphere, where social media is an important tool. As much as Elon Musk may want Twitter space to be apolitical, that is a myth, like Utopia. It’s a war out there, really.

Back to Novak, he talks of being uncertain about how long he will play and how long he can keep winning. This kind of melancholy is not part of Novak’s DNA, really. He has given the impression of possessing a tough interior and exterior, like that rock that withstands the constant lashing of waves on a seashore. Perhaps, seeing how Rafael Nadal had to take a long break, unsure about his return, and how it will be, Novak has become pensive.

Then again, tennis is not what fans think, that a champion wins when the field looks easier on paper. Novak won the Australian Open, a kind of superhuman effort with that hamstring issue, in January 2023. Maybe, to keep repeating it is not easy. He has not done well on clay, though in the French Open warm-up. On Wednesday evening, Novak rolled over Martin Fucsovis at the French Open. It was a regulation win for sure.

But man/machine Novak knows, being in the same half as Carlos Alcaraz, the field is actually a minefield in Paris. Was Novak happy with his win? “Nervousness is part of my job. Sometimes I express it, sometimes I internalise it,” said Novak, the deadpan expression on his face so usual. He may have given an impression he is inert to emotions However, the truth is, he has emotions, which we all saw in plenty after his Australian Open win.

There are some players who are vocal, some expressive, and some, kind of bottled up. If Novak talks of nervousness, he is not faking it. And when he talks of expressing it, the temptation may be to link it to Kosovo. And when he talks of internalizing it, that has to do with his own thought on a match. Whichever way you look at it, Novak has been dropping far too many hints these days.

This was not the case a few months ago. So, for all those who felt he will be around for a good three or four years and win half a dozen more Grand Slam titles, take a reality check.

Continue Reading: