Article is spot on I often find myself rooting against Djokovic despite a grudging respect for him. I think I feel the same now but with jannik and Carlos and see Djokovic as an intruder on their great rivalry.
Great piece. Glad to read you've come to appreciate Djokovic. I shared some of your sentiments in the early years, but came around to liking him much earlier. I'm from Vienna, and we have a large population with Balkan roots. Not that this made him any more endearing to me - in fact, it tested some of my own fears and prejudices - but it helped me understand their plight better, and I've admired him for his strong values and courage to speak out (even on sometimes controversial topics). Sure, he's always had strong opinions, but was also willing to grow, learn, and improve himself. And gamesmanship aside, he was always very humble and classy in defeat, more than Federer in my opinion. Because he embraced the role as the villain, and his qualities on court were not as obvious to the untrained eye, it was difficult for him to be a crowd favourite, but it's great to see that he's getting his share of love as the elder statesman in tennis now.
Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. I agree with everything you said. Djokovic has always been remarkably gracious in defeat, perhaps the most gracious loser I have ever seen in tennis. His career has been a fascinating one to follow when you slow down and look at the details. I’m curious to see how this final leg plays out.
Djokovic is the reason I like this sport, my best moments watching tennis, always had Djokovic. I’m going to miss him when he retires
Article is spot on I often find myself rooting against Djokovic despite a grudging respect for him. I think I feel the same now but with jannik and Carlos and see Djokovic as an intruder on their great rivalry.
I felt like I could've written this. I feel exactly the same!
Thanks for sharing
Great piece. Glad to read you've come to appreciate Djokovic. I shared some of your sentiments in the early years, but came around to liking him much earlier. I'm from Vienna, and we have a large population with Balkan roots. Not that this made him any more endearing to me - in fact, it tested some of my own fears and prejudices - but it helped me understand their plight better, and I've admired him for his strong values and courage to speak out (even on sometimes controversial topics). Sure, he's always had strong opinions, but was also willing to grow, learn, and improve himself. And gamesmanship aside, he was always very humble and classy in defeat, more than Federer in my opinion. Because he embraced the role as the villain, and his qualities on court were not as obvious to the untrained eye, it was difficult for him to be a crowd favourite, but it's great to see that he's getting his share of love as the elder statesman in tennis now.
Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment. I agree with everything you said. Djokovic has always been remarkably gracious in defeat, perhaps the most gracious loser I have ever seen in tennis. His career has been a fascinating one to follow when you slow down and look at the details. I’m curious to see how this final leg plays out.