By juxtaposing tennis mastery, successes and recognition with the emotions he arouses and the views he expresses, it can be concluded without risk that Novak Djoković is one of the most controversial figures in the world sport. You can either love him or hate him, and in the last few years it has certainly been more and more difficult to have an emotionless respect for him.
The tennis player is outstanding. Of course, there is still talk of the Big Three, and Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also have 20 Grand Slam wins. But it was Djoković who dominated the competition in the last decade. Since 2011, he has won 19 Grand Slam tournaments, while the Swiss and the Spaniard together have won 15 such titles. The Serb is the youngest of the three, he will probably run away from his great rivals soon. In 2021 alone, Djoković won three Grand Slam events, unexpectedly only losing in the US Open final.
But… “Federer and Nadal will go down in the annals of the sport as all-time champions, and Djokovic will always be considered a less bright light. Michael Schumacher has won seven Formula 1 world championships, but will never be honored as a genius in the same way as Ayrton Senna, “the Sydney Morning Herald recently noted. And when renowned American tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote about the world’s biggest fans, He named Federer first, Nadal second, and the one who is playing against Djoković in third, half a joke, but rightly so.
“Novak is sickly obsessed with being liked”
– I have no bad feelings for those who do not support me. I do not want to arouse negative emotions – said Djoković a few years ago in an interview with the New York Times. Well, it doesn’t, but it does arouse.
Maybe he was a little unlucky at first. He started out as “the third one.” Federer and Nadal fought fascinating battles, built a host of fans, fans fell in love with each other with their craftsmanship, passion, but also naturalness. “The Serb is a bit different from them,” noted Adam Romer, a journalist from “Tenisklub”.
– Novak presents itself in 100%. professionally, but I have the impression that fans do not see such a human element in him. They are convinced that the Spaniard and the Swiss are nicer and that is why they cheer them more. Something about Djoković is such that he cannot win the sympathy of the fans.
“I think Novak has a sick obsession with being liked. He wants to be like Roger Federer. He wants to be liked so much that I personally can’t stand it – he didn’t bite the tongue Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios in an interview with the New York Times.
Novak’s sincerity and Djokovic’s disrespect
But how to be liked when you act antipathetic on the court? During the US Open in 2020, Djoković hit the referee with a ball in the larynx. Inadvertently, but anyway, he was thrown from the tournament to the applause of most observers. During last year’s Olympics in Tokyo, he threw a racket into the stands. Fans love temperamental athletes, but in the still conservative world of tennis, certain behaviors are not forgiven.
Emotional outbursts are one thing, ugly plays against rivals are something else. Djoković is known to regularly take medical breaks when he is not going. In the Australian Open 2020 final, before his fourth set against Dominik Thiem, he complained that he was exhausted and dizzy. It was similar in the semi-final with Federer. In turn, the quarter-finals with Milos Raonic took a break to change contact lenses. Just when the Canadian played his best of the game.
Djoković can be unpleasant and explosive, and at the same time he likes to lecture others. During the Tokyo Olympics, he talked about how to deal with your nerves. – Pressure is a privilege. There is no professional sport without pressure. But at the same time, a great master can be expected to have a greater sensitivity towards Naomi Osaka or Simone Biles, who were in a mental crisis, who were able to give up competition in the name of improving their psychological comfort.
Criticism also poured out on Djoković, incl. after a sensational defeat against Lorenzgo Sony in Vienna in October 2020. The Serb admitted that he played the quarter-finals without being fully committed, because he had already achieved his goal – he scored enough points to secure his position as No. 1 in the ranking at the end of the year. There were those who praised him for his honesty, but most criticized him for his shoe and disrespect.
Bread, water and the “scientific method of creating alchemy”
“What happened on the court stays on the court” – Djokovic’s behavior, racket in hand, could be waved and eventually blamed on hot-bloodedness, pressure and the race for fame. However, for several years now, the Serb has started to levitate his worldview and preach theories that are more and more difficult to relate to.
– I know some people who, through energy transformations, the power of prayer and the power of gratitude, transformed the most toxic food or even the most toxic water into wholesome water. Scientists have proved that molecules in water can react to our emotions and spoken words, said Djoković a few years ago. It was then that he got closer to Chervin Jafarieh, a producer of agents that are supposed to positively influence the organism, who says about himself that he specializes in “the scientific method of creating alchemy”.
But Djokovic’s search for sports alchemy began in 2010. Igor Cetojević, a Serbian magnetotherapy expert, persuaded the tennis player to change his diet. The experiment that led him to this was Novak holding a slice of bread on his belly. Here, however, it is worth emphasizing – the gluten-free diet worked, Djoković started to play better.
However, while later he enriched his spiritual life with yoga, meditation, hugging trees or telekinesis, he could not feel the border. He strayed into areas where he began to appear as a charlatan. He popularized pseudoscientific theories through his social media with a huge range, and again – he divided fans into groups of his followers and those who knocked on the forehead.
“DjoCOVID” is the face of anti-vaccines
The quirks became loud during the pandemic. The more so because although people were dying all over the world, the Serb treated the virus dismissively. In the summer of 2020, he organized a series of show tournaments in the Balkans, during which the observance of security measures was consciously underestimated. Effect? Djokovic and several other tennis players became infected.
“He mocked the coronavirus until it mocked him”, “DjoCOVID” – fans laughed at Djoković. – The world of sport has not seen such a disgrace for a long time –
As if that were not enough – a month later, Djoković visited the pseudoscientist Semir Osmanagic, who claims that the Sun Pyramids in Bosnia he discovered are the perfect cure for the coronavirus. “As if he wanted to add fuel to the fire after the recent controversy surrounding him,” Belgian media wrote.
It was only a matter of time before Djoković would become the face of anti-vaccines.
Novak and his heart for the needy
In Serbia, Novak is loved. For saying a lot about patriotism, for praising the country in the world, for winning for it. And for having a big heart for the needy.
Four years ago, he opened a restaurant in Belgrade that offers free meals to the homeless. Even earlier, in 2007, he established the “Novak Djokovic Foundation”, which supports preschool children from poor countries of the world. The organization donates funds for the education of the youngest. “Let’s believe in their dreams” – says the slogan on the website.
Recently, Djoković also wanted to take care of the welfare of other tennis players – he established the Professional Tennis Players Association, which aims to fight for better wages for players. Although the receipt of this initiative also made him enemies. – In the times of the coronavirus, it is an attempt to further divide the environment. We do not need this – commented on the idea of Martin Navratilova, the legend of women’s tennis.
Coming back to Serbia – there Djoković is treated almost like a god. Which is what his parents skillfully pick up on. Father Srdjan, detaining Novak in an Australian immigration hotel, commented: “Jesus was crucified on a cross, but he lives among us. Novak is in Australian captivity but has never been freer. Novak has become a symbol and leader of the free world, the world of the poor and the oppressed.
Novak Djoković – you love it or you hate it.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
