Tim Henman claims Novak Djokovic ‘craves affection’ and slams his critics
Tim Henman has hit out at the Australian Open fans who got it “totally wrong” as they fired jeers and boos at Novak Djokovic after he was forced to quit his semi-final match against Alexander Zverev.
In what may have been his final appearance on the Rob Laver Arena stage, the ten-time Australian Open champion was forced to call time on his bid to win a 25th Grand Slam due to a hamstring injury.
It was clear that Djokovic was injured and he posted an MRI scan to highlight the tear in his hamstring a few days after the match, with Henman bemused by the reaction of the fans as he left the court.
Speaking at a Sky Sports Tennis event in London, the former British No 1 suggested the time has come to show more respect to the most successful male tennis player of all time.
“I think they got it completely wrong,” said Henman, responding to a question from Tennis365.
“For someone going for their 11th Australian Open title and their 25th Slam, to be the leader in the history of the game, he’s clearly in a bad way if he has pulled out after a set. For him to be booed in that moment was pretty indefensible.
“He absolutely doesn’t deserve to be booed off the court in the semi-finals of a Slam when he has had to retire.”
Henman went on to try and explain why the fans turned on Djokovic in such a vitriolic manner, as he questioned whether the enduring popularity of his great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal continues to haunt him.
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“I’m not on social media, but what I hear goes on with him and his fans is chaos and maybe at times he has done things that have attracted that (negativity),” he continued.
“You big a bit deeper and in my opinion, he has always craved the affection of Federer and Nadal. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know. That’s my opinion.
“Some people don’t like the way he behaves sometimes, but you look at what he has achieved in the game and in every statistic, he is the best in the men’s game. So I find it difficult to debate that.
“He has got 24 Slams, the most weeks at No 1, the most Masters 1000s, he’s got it all.”
Henman’s Sky Sports colleague and respected broadcaster Jonathan Overend echoed Henman’s comments, as he spoke exclusively to Tennis365.
“To be booed off the court when you have been a champion there ten times over was a surprise,” begins Overend.
“You never like to hear it and I don’t really understand why it happened.
“Whether the fans felt they didn’t receive value for money or not, is a spurious argument. Tennis is a curious sport that can go on for hours and hours, but they saw more in one set than you would get in a lot of other sports between Djokovic and Zverev.
“The whole thing was quite perplexing and I’m sure Novak came away from it all feeling pretty annoyed.”
Djokovic is expected to be out for up to two months with the hamstring problem he sustained in Melbourne, so he is unlikely to return to action until the European clay court season gets underway in the spring.
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