(London) Novak Djokovic is another example of a unique athlete who manages to harness any source of motivation. Serena Williams, Michael Jordan and Tom Brady come from the same mold.
With Djokovic, this observation comes mainly from the fact – or at least the perception – that the crowd abhors him. At Wimbledon, the holder of 24 career Grand Slam titles is certain that spectators were deliberately pronouncing his name in such a way that it sounded like boos… and the Serb, a bit like the famous scene from the documentary The Last Dance starring Michael Jordan, made it personal.
He denounced the “lack of respect” he received during his match on Centre Court on Monday night, as he moved closer to winning his eighth career title at the All England Club.
“I’ve played in much more intimidating places, believe me,” Djokovic told the crowd. “You can’t touch me.”
This isn’t the first time Djokovic has been the target of boos from spectators – he once claimed that the crowd chanting “Roger! Roger!” (in reference to Federer) was actually shouting “Novak! Novak!” – and it clearly won’t be the last, either.
Djokovic, who will face Alex de Minaur on Centre Court on Wednesday, is turning that negative energy into motivation.
“Some of the greatest athletes of all time have felt victimized. They use that kind of situation to motivate themselves: ‘I’m going to beat you,'” James Blake, a former tennis pro who once reached world number four, said Tuesday. “In reality, what happened yesterday (Monday) was not a big deal. But he used it to motivate himself, and that’s good for him. I’m sure it’s not easy every day. You’re already the best of all time and you want to push yourself to beat your next opponent. So you exploit everything you can use.”
Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis added that Djokovic “wants to hear boos because they encourage him to raise his game. If I were to play him, I would just congratulate him at the changeovers.”
Another player who was affected by the behaviour of spectators on the edge of Centre Court on Monday was Alexander Zverev, a two-time Grand Slam finalist who let a two-set lead slip before losing in five to American Taylor Fritz.
After their duel concluded, Zverev complained to Fritz about the things he heard coming from the American’s dressing room – not from his coaches, but from people “who are not in the tennis world, who are not familiar with the flow of a singles match; they were a little too loud.”
Unlike Djokovic, however, the German was unable to have the last word against his opponent.