Novak Djokovic jumps to Serena Williams’ defence – ‘People need to cool off’
Novak Djokovic has told Serena Williams’ detractors to “cool off a little bit with judgment and criticism and everything” following her first-round exit from Wimbledon.
Tennis great Williams made her Grand Slam return amid much fanfare at the All England Club on Tuesday as she played her first singles match in nearly four years following her decision to “evolve away” from tennis after the 2022 US Open.
The 23-time major winner’s comeback dominated headlines in recent weeks and all eyes were on Centre Court for her match against Maya Joint.
Aged 44 and having played only two doubles matches on grass before facing Joint, Williams looked a little rusty early on, but still put up a good fight before the Australian broke late in the opening set.
The pair traded four breaks of serve in the second set as it went to a tie-breaker and the American appeared to be on her way out as Joint had a match 5-6, but the old Serena returned as she saved it and took the match to a decider.
Having had the early advantage after a break in the third game, Williams’ lead disappeared and she eventually lost 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3.
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Djokovic was asked about the former world No 1’s return after his second-round win over Stefanos Tsitsipas and replied: “I said it even before the tournament started that what she’s doing is incredible, epic,” he said. “I’ve always been a fan of Serena. I’m sure she wanted and expected to at least win one match or more.
“Knowing how competitive she is, the mind of a champion that she has, she’s not happy with just showing up on the court. She wants to win.
“I hope for the sake of tennis and all of us that we be able to see her more. Let’s see. Nobody really knows what’s going to happen, whether she’s eager to play on Grand Slams maybe. I assume that US Open is somewhere where she would like to play. I mean, playing in her home Slam would be amazing for her and for everyone else.
“But let’s see. I was watching match a little bit. Look, she hasn’t played for years. She had two children. I mean, people are used to when we talk about Serena, I mean, also in my case, some great champions, people always expect you to play at your best because they’re used to seeing you dominate the sport for many years.
“She’s 44. I mean, she has two children. Coming back, it’s normal that she still is not at her best in terms of movement. She hasn’t played a match, I mean, in so many years. People need to cool off a little bit with judgment and criticism and everything. Let’s just enjoy the greatness, who she is, what she represents to the sport.
“Her wanting to give it a try and just come back is an incredible gift for our sport. I think people sometimes, I don’t know why they don’t appreciate that enough. They just start to speculate, judge or whatever. It’s like, ‘Hey, guys, enjoy. You have the greatest ever to come play for you, to bring more attention to your sport.’
“For me, I don’t understand this kind of thinking and this kind of approach by people and judgment. But people are people. This is something they’re going to do.
“I really support Serena. Always have. Hopefully she’s going to play more.”
