John McEnroe lashes out at tennis fans for casting Novak Djokovic as ‘the bad guy’
Novak Djokovic cemented his legacy as the most successful tennis player of all-time by winning a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but tennis fans around the world are still reluctant to give him the adoration his achievements merit.
Djokovic clashed with spectators once again at Wimbledon in July, as he was heckled and jeered during his match with Holger Rune.
While Djokovic initially mistook chants for Rune to be boos directed at him, the mood inside Centre Court turned dark soon after as the Serbian struck back at fans who he believes showed him a lack of respect.
This was not the first time Djokovic has faced a barrage of abuse from tennis fans who often favoured his great rivals and now seven-time Grand Slam singles champion McEnroe has suggested Djokovic deserves better than he has got from tennis fans during his career.
Speaking at a Eurosport event ahead of the US Open, McEnroe suggested the fans who jeer Djokovic now may appreciate his greatness when he has hung up his rackets, as he urged them to halt their negativity towards the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
“He has been under-appreciated,” stated McEnroe. “It has been difficult for him to be compared to Rafa and Roger, but he has done an amazing job to put himself ahead of those guys.
“In ten years, 20 years, I think people will love him even more. When he stops playing, people will realise what he brought.
“I think that Djokovic has really tried to step up for the sport on and off the court.
“His actions when he plays and also off the court, he has really been trying to push the sport in the right direction.
“Whenever I see him in the locker room, I know he has the respect of the other players, but it has been tough for him with the fans.
“I know a little bit about what he is going through because when I stopped playing everyone was saying ‘oh what you did was great’.
“Yet while I was playing, they didn’t see it that way. He’s done a lot more than me, but we are a little similar in that sense.
“He is smart, he is interesting and he is one of the players who you know will give you value for money. It makes no sense, but I think people will appreciate him more now because Carlos Alcaraz has come along and he can still compete with a guy from a different generation.
“He’s done an incredible job of handling that negativity. He has this reputation for being the bad guy, the Darth Vader.
“I don’t know if it’s because of the way he looks, where he is from… there are all types of reasons and they make no sense.
“I like to see emotion on the court. He wears his emotions on his sleeve, he is inspired by people booing against him. What more can you ask for from an athlete?
“To me, it is like a no-brainer and for whatever reason, he has been short-changed by the fans.”
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McEnroe admitted he doesn’t know what to expect from Djokovic after his win at the Olympics, as he admits the tennis world is waiting for the 37-year-old legend to edge towards an inevitable retirement.
“We are always analysing the results to see a what point he would lose the motivation or if it would catch up with him physically, but that Olympic match against Alcaraz was incredible,” added McEnroe.
“It cemented his status as the most complete player ever. The GOAT, maybe, and that’s saying a lot when you are dealing with Federer and Nadal.
“It’s pretty hard to quit when you are winning. You still think you are the best. It would be a great time, in a way, but when he retires is a quetsion I don’t know the answer to.”
Fans across Europe can watch the US Open on Eurosport and Max (excludes Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Ireland)
