Abusive Novak Djokovic fanatics are easy to spot as they ‘all have the same emoji’

Novak Djokovic’s more passionate tennis fans have sent a shiver of fear through plenty of tennis stars down the years and now Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Former world No 1 Andy Roddick has admitted he has been rattled by the vociferous support Djokovic receives from his fans around the world, with their loyalty to their hero often resulting in vicious attacks on X, formerly known as Twitter, to anyone they perceive to have criticised the Serbian legend.
Roddick has stated time and again that he views Djokovic as ‘the greatest’, but he still gets criticised when he makes anything other than glowing tributes about the Serbian in his Served podcast.
“I’m so scared of Nole’s (Djokovic’s) Twitter people,” said Roddick earlier this year. “I say something like he was breathing heavily and even though he was breathing heavily, they are like f*** you! I just eat s*** from them all the time.
“I am effusive about how brilliant he is. I think I was the first to say that he was the greatest before it was generally accepted, but you can’t win them all.”
Now former Australian Open doubles champion Kokkinakis has admitted he is also a little concerned by the venom of Djokovic’s social media fans, many of whom appear to believe they have a duty to defend the Serbian even when he is being lavished with praise.
Speaking ahead of his appearance at the UTS Grand Final in London, the Aussie suggested you can spot a Djokovic fan on X as they have a crocodile symbol on their profile, which they link to the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s clothing brand Lacoste, that has a distinctive green crocodile as their logo.
“In tennis Twitter, if you like Djokovic, everyone has this little Lacoste emoji,” he said on the UTS Tour Instagram page.
“They have this little crocodile. You know they are a Djokovic fan if they have that and they are just abusing you.”
In a conversation with his fellow UTS Grand Final rivals Denis Shapovalov, Kokkinakis suggested upsetting Djokovic is the worst mistake you can make on a tennis court and he always roars back in the face of adversity.
“The worst is if the crowd makes him pissed. If he gets pissed and starts yelling at the crowd. Dude, pack your bags,” said Kokkinakis. “Keep him happy. Keep him happy.”
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The 2024 UTS Grand Final gets underway in London on Friday, December 6 and in the opinion of the tournament’s creator Patrick Mouratoglou, Djokovic is still a player to watch heading into 2025.
The Serbian may have ended this season without a Grand Slam win, but Mouratoglou insists he could put that right next year.
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“I think Novak had a very bad year, but it came after an incredible year,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365.
“Let’s not forget that only last year he won three Grand Slams and played in the final of the other. So we shouldn’t forget that was just one year ago, not ten years ago, just one year ago.
“He won the Olympics which was his main focus this year, beating Carlos in the final, playing fantastic tennis, so he is not far away.
“I think he can beat them (Sinner and Alcaraz). It’s very hard, there was a lot of margin before, but now there is none.
“When he plays them I think anyone can win, but I don’t think he’s far behind. I think he can still win Grand Slams, I’m sure about it.”
