Novak Djokovic is, arguably, the most successful professional men's tennis player in history. He stands shoulder to shoulder, to say the least, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. All of them are currently tied in the history of men's tennis with 20 Grand Slam titles won for each of them.
Think about that. That is a decade and a half worth of Grand Slam titles split between these three men. Absolutely stunning and mind-boggling.
Yet, perhaps one thing that is even more perplexing than their unprecedented combined success and dominance of the sport is that while Federer and Nadal are both largely beloved sports figures, and cheered for no matter where they go and no matter what tournament they play, Djokovic still is regarded almost as a villainous character by many tennis fans around the world. It also seems like there is no real good reason for it, other than fans of Federer and Nadal seem to view him as a threat to their favorite tennis player, and stands in the way of them and more great accomplishments.
It has long surprised me, and perhaps saddened me a bit, that Djokovic remains somewhat in the shadow of the other two, at least in terms of popularity. That certainly is not the case in terms of his on the court success, which actually arguably compares favorably when contrasted with the other two individually. And that is saying something. Seriously, Djokovic has won as many Grand Slams as either of the other two, yet he holds a few other notable distinctions that, I think, the other two could only dream of. Specifically, Djokovic has held all four Grand Slams at the same time, making him only the second man in the Open era with that distinction. He also won the year end number one during that stretch, and is currently tied with Pete Sampras for most overall year ends with the number one ranking. He has a good chance of surpassing Sampras and standing alone with that distinction. Djokovic is also the only men's tennis player in the Open era to have won each of the Grand Slams multiple times each, and to have won each one more than once on the three major surfaces. Currently, he has won 19 of the last 42 Grand Slams. He has reached the final in 30 of the 65 Grand Slams that he has played in. Those are records that nobody else has, and I suspect we will not see anyone even come close to matching, let alone surpassing, that record. He has won 85 career ATP titles in all. He does not lead in that particular category. I fact, he is still fifth in the Open Era, after Jimmy Connors (109), Federer (103), Lendl (94) and Nadal (88). Yet, you get the impression that he will likely be catching, and perhaps passing, at least a couple of those guys, if not possibly even all of them, before too long.
When all is said and done, I suspect that Djokovic will own enough distinctions like this to rank as the greatest tennis player in history. Yes, I believe that he will win more Grand Slam titles. Nadal may win more, although Federer, at this point, probably will not win any more. By the time that Djokovic ends his career, he will most likely own the record for most Grand Slam championships and most Grand Slam finals played in. He already holds the record for most weeks overall as the number ne ranked player, but he will likely extend that, and possibly add a lot more time atop the rankings, at that.
Normally, when someone is anywhere near as successful as Djokovic has been in tennis, he becomes a beloved figure, someone who everyone seems in awe of and has a healthy respect for. That has been the case even with some players who, you could argue, were not entirely likable with their conduct either on or off the court or, in some cases, both. Jimmy Connors, for example, showed some very petty moments both on and off the court, to the point where some of his fellow tennis players - Agassi and McEnroe in particular - have hardly made a secret of their personal dislike of the man. Speaking of McEnroe, it is easy to forget these days, since he has become an impressive and likeable television analyst, but he is another player who's behavior often times was viewed as abhorrent, and unworthy of someone who was as great as he was on the tennis court. Yet, both of those men were and remain crowd favorites. Federer and Nadal always seemed to be among the crowd favorites, as well.
As for Djokovic? Not so much. The crowd at Wimbledon was actively rooting against him. They cheered when he made simple mistakes, cheered his misfortunes. Still, at the end of the day, he stood alone as the Wimbledon champion for a sixth time. That is one behind Pete Sampras, and two behind the all-time leader, Roger Federer. In other words, Djokovic should be recognized as one of the greatest grass court players in history. Yet, they pull for him to lose, to fail. And this reaction is not restricted merely to Wimbledon.
There have been plenty of people who relished not only Djokovic's loss, but his obvious frustration on the court, when he was yelling during the match against Zverev, and then especially when he threw his racket and later smashed another racket during the match against Pablo Carrena Busta. In fairness, perhaps some people took pleasure specifically because Djokovic made some ill-advised criticism of fellow Olympian Simone Biles. Biles pulled out of the Olympics because of something called the "twisties," a term unfamiliar to everyone but gymnasts until a few days ago. Djokovic made some comments that were not directed specifically at Biles, but which, nevertheless, a lot of people felt seemed to show little sympathy towards her. Some seemed to suggest that he had taken a shot at her, although he apparently had not been asked about her, and showed no evidence that the comments were directed at her. Here is what Djokovic said:
“Pressure is a privilege. Without pressure there is no professional sport. If you are aiming to be at the top of the game you better start learning how to deal with pressure. And how to cope with those moments on the court but also off the court, all the expectations.”
Now, that is no doubt an obnoxious and unfair statement IF it is indeed directed at Biles. Biles is already an accomplished champion in her sport. She won four gold medals, as well as a bronze, in the 2016 Rio games, and added a silver in this year's Tokyo games. Also, she won 19 gold medals at the World Championships, winning multiple gold medals in Antwerp in 2013, Nanning in 2014, Glasgow in 2015, Doha in 2018, and in Stuttgart in 2019. Plus, she won three silver medals and three bronze medals in addition in those competitions. In short, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in American history. Nobody should question her heart or her ability to overcome the "privilege" of "pressure," as Djokovic worded it. I would think that Djokovic, of all people, should understand that, having achieved so much in his career, and understanding the limitations of that success, too, as he has suffered some both some major career setbacks, including hugely disappointing defeats, as well as injuries. So for that, admittedly, Djokovic does deserve some criticism IF those comments were indeed aimed at Biles. Again, though, I have not seen any real evidence that they were indeed made about Biles at all, or that he had her in mind when he said that.
Additionally, Djokovic rather infamously held a public event in Belgrade last year, flaunting rather blatant disrespect of the pandemic shutdowns. His parents were disappointed, and they were not the only ones. The fact that he tested positive for Covid-19 shortly thereafter was hardly a surprise, then.
Those were two very disappointing moments when, I feel, Djokovic could and should have known better, and should have shown better character and judgment, quite frankly. That said, however, Djokovic has otherwise normally conducted himself in an admirable way. Oh, he may betray his frustrations by shouting out loud, or even destroying his racket every now and then, true. Again, though, those are frustrations in the heat of the moment. If you watch him regularly, he almost always handles himself as a gentlemen. Usually, he is modest in victory, gracious in defeat. In fact, he is normally one of the most impressive players that I have seen in how he handles himself on the tennis court, and I am not just referring to how often he wins.
In fact, I would go as far as to say that Djokovic is, generally, a class act. He has been baited at times by some, but he generally rarely takes the bait. People got on his case last month when he won a match at Wimbledon and celebrated a little too spiritedly for some people's tastes. But he had been mocked and jeered during that match. I remember one other all-time great doing that, as well: Pete Sampras. The British, at that time, really did not like Sampras. He was openly mocked, with the crowd mockingly called him "Gloomy" and with the press constantly referring to him as incredibly boring.
"It's Pete Samprazzzz," the Daily Mirror wrote.
A couple of other headlines, including one where Sampras was compared with a chimpanzee, something that would likely garner accusations of racism today:
"Bored on the Fourth of July." The Daily Star: "Samp-Prazzzzz," "Big Bore Pete is Chimply the Best."
Sampras reacted by yelling in triumph after one of his wins in that tournament, generated a negative reaction by the Wimbledon crowd. Funny, but almost nobody remembers that. It did not define Sampras, and people did not judge him too harshly for it. At least not for very long, anyway. Admittedly, I never particularly much cared for Sampras, but will admit that he handled himself pretty well under those circumstances. How are you supposed to react, after all, when you enjoy a great level of success, and for no particularly good reason, it seems everyone is against you?
Yes, Novak Djokovic lost his cool and had a bit of a fit in his last two Olympic matches. But other big stars have done the same, and they do not seem to get nearly as much hate as Djokovic does. Roger Federer has lost his cool and had some similar incidents. obviously, Serena Williams has had a number of similar episodes, although it seems that the public does not define her for that, like it defines Djokovic for it. Indeed, the man who won defeated Djokovic and ultimately won the gold medal in these games in singles competition, Alexander Zverev, himself threw the racket in frustration in that very same match against Djokovic. Nobody seems to be criticizing him for it, though. Many notable players have done it, and have lost their cool on the court. There are some real greats on the list, including (but not necessarily limited to) Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe (already mentioned both of those men), Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, Andre Agassi, and a number of others. That includes the great Roger Federer, as well. Hell, former number one Lleyton Hewitt was involved in an incident in the 2001 US Open where he came across to many people as a spoiled, entitled brat at best, and blatantly racist at worst. Yet it seemed that within a year, the tennis world had forgotten all about that.
When you prepare for and play tennis matches as a career, and are extremely competitive and playing at the highest levels, it seems inevitable that such things as throwing rackets or losing your cool here or there are going to happen, at least on occasion. The rare exceptions only seem to prove the rule. Yet, despite Djokovic hardly being the only one, these outbursts seem to be remembered far more, and they generate considerable hate by many, far more than it seems like he deserves. Nobody seems to remember how admirably he has handled himself after some truly bitter defeats. He warmly congratulated Stan Wawrinka after losing the 2015 French Open, a loss that denied what had seemed to be, at that time, Djokovic's best chance to finally win in Paris. And in 2016, after losing to Juan DelPotro in the first round of the Olympics, Djokovic smiled at him warmly and congratulated him. As his name was announced and he received applause as he walked off the court after the match, Djokovic broke into involuntary tears, showing just how much that loss had hurt. He has said and done the right things far more often than not in both victory and defeat, over the course of a fairly long and storied career. He tried to help young players starting off their professional careers. Yet for some people, the only thing that they define him by are these relatively few outbursts, which seems a bit unfair.
On some level, it reminds me of Tom Brady. Now, there are things that, admittedly, I am not thrilled with about Tom Brady. He does seem a little bit too full of himself at times. And the whole Donald Trump thing did not sit well with me, either. Yet, throughout his career, it seemed that some people were absolutely thrilled to see those instances when he failed, and they would try to paint him as soft, or even as a loser. In truth, Brady is now considered the GOAT for very good reason: he has silenced pretty much all of his many, many critics and haters, and has done it by doing the one thing that people simply cannot take away from him: succeeding at the very highest levels. Brady has been to the Super Bowl more than any other player in history, having led his teams to the Super Bowl ten times, literally twice the next closest competitor (John Elway, with five). He has won seven Super Bowl rings, three more than his next closest competitors (Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana, both with four rings each). Still, he will clearly always have his haters.
The same appears to be true of Djokovic. In truth, Djokovic seems more likable to me than Brady does. As the saying goes, if I got a choice of spending a day or sitting and having a beer with either one, I would pick Djokovic. He seems to me to have a genuinely likeable side to him. A good sense of humor, and a good heart. He has done much for charity over his legendary career, and again, he has handled himself admirably for the bulk of his career, yes in both victory and defeat, save for a few occasions that seem to be unfairly famous. He also seems like an intelligent, thoughtful guy, to boot. I have seen some of his thoughts and quotes used both before and after big matches, and he really does seem humble and to have earned some good perspective. When you grow up in a war zone, literally trying to find safe zones during bombing campaigns, like Djokovic did growing up in the former Yugoslavia, then you know that you have been through something. And remember, Djokovic speaks about seven or so languages fluently. This is not a man who seems to me to define narrow-mindedness or stupidity, or to be a spoiled brat. Far, far from it.
Yet, it seems like his many, many detractors an even haters get their kicks by harping on those relatively few moments when he betrays his frustrations, or when he fails or loses. The fact that so many people seem to take such enormous pleasure when one of these two all-time great athletes fails does not speak so much about the failures of these athletes - everyone loses at least some of the time, after all - as much as it speaks about the pettiness, bitterness, and frankly, jealousy that many of these critics actually have, and which fuels that anger. These athletes are doing some things that these people could never do in a lifetime, after all. To me, that is the real ugliness and hypocrisy, much more than Djokovic getting heated and angry on the court during a loss. Unfortunately, this seems to speak poorly of a lot of people, if social media is any measure.
Below are some of the links that you may want to check out, if you want to explore this story some more. The quotes used above came from these articles, as well (see links):
Djokovic in tears after early exit
https://youtu.be/Nfx0ypeukHo
'Double standards': Novak Djokovic divides fans after 'disgraceful' scenes Riley Morgan·Sports Reporter Fri, 2 July 2021:
https://au.sports.yahoo.com/wimbledon-2021-novak-djokovic-divides-fans-disgraceful-scenes-233543732.html
In defence of Novak Djokovic by Yiannis Baboulias, 1 August 2021:
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/in-defence-of-novak-djokovic?fbclid=IwAR3jAW3-Jo-WvXXz0_lQjJ45kaQ7WQIw6TO-SVKSvfjxGbMM_VxUTWK_GCA
Novak Djokovic's Olympic meltdown shows hypocrisy of his Simone Biles criticism by Ann Killion, July 31, 2021:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/annkillion/article/Novak-Djokovic-s-Olympic-meltdown-shows-16354473.php
Novak Djokovic Throws Post-Match Tantrum Days After Saying ‘Pressure Is a Privilege’ by Alex Noble | July 31, 2021:
Tennis star threw his racket after suffering his third Olympics defeat in two days
https://www.thewrap.com/novak-djokovic-throws-post-match-tantrum-days-after-saying-pressure-is-a-privilege/?fbclid=IwAR2lmTNioViyrrIuZVgWcx0npSMK4DV8GyHhHm1TjUgZuvSV4_zrKpVfS2s
THE 20 BIGGEST STATS FROM NOVAK DJOKOVIC’S HISTORIC 20TH GRAND SLAM TITLE By John Berkok Published Jul 14, 2021:
From winning almost a third of the majors he’s played to reaching the final at almost half of them, the Serb’s career stats just keep getting more and more legendary.
https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/the-20-biggest-stats-from-novak-djokovic-s-historic-20th-grand-slam-title
British tab Sampras a boring champion Published Oct. 9, 2005
https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/07/06/british-tab-sampras-a-boring-champion/
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