‘Novak Djokovic was catching his breath a bit more than usual’, says legend

Although on more than one occasion he has already made it clear that he is not losing sleep over the reactions of the public who do not see him as their favorite player, Novak Djokovic only demands respect to be able to play at his best level. Although most of the fans have received him wonderfully at Melbourne Park, after the previous edition in which he had to be expelled from the country for not getting vaccinated against Covid-19, there were a couple throughout his different commitments that crossed the respect line. The winner of 21 Grand Slam titles referred to them precisely: “Personally, what I like to see is respect, and not a one-dimensional narrative that only focuses on one part of the story and only writes in that direction. I like it when a different perspective is adopted, trying to be a little more objective”, commented ‘Nole’ after his victory over the Russian Andrey Rublev in the round of 16 of the Australian Open. “I respect your profession and I understand that without you, our sport would not be as global as it is. In the end, we are all part of the same team. I also understand that there are people who are more biased and love me less. It is really difficult to define the right path”, added the Serbian. Despite his great successes on the track, Djokovic has had a hard time winning over the public of a large part of the fans at the different stops he has on tour. John McEnroe stated that Novak Djokovic will earn “more respect” bit by bit over time. “Obviously, we are talking about two of the most talented and classy players the sport has ever seen: Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal].”

Becker opens up on Djokovic

Following Djokovic’s win in the semifinals, Boris Becker told Eurosport Germany’s Matchball Becker show that Novak Djokovic’s career accomplishments should not be underestimated. “I don’t know if a tennis player can achieve something like that again. We are watching tennis history live here. We all take it for granted: The Djoker, he will do it. No, guys – that’s not normal!” Becker said. “Novak is getting older, too. He is now 35 years old. You could also notice on the court that he was catching his breath a bit more than usual. Let us enjoy it while we can see it because at some point it will be over,” Becker said.