McEnroe praises "Darth Vader" Djokovic: "When will he finally get the respect?"

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• John McEnroe praises Novak Djokovic for his ability to deal with criticism and emphasizes that Djokovic has often been treated disrespectfully.
• Djokovic criticized the Wimbledon crowd after his match against Holger Rune.
• Other experts such as Tim Henman believe that Djokovic is driven by confrontation and negative energy and can only perform at his best as a result.

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Djokovic and the crowd. Definitely not love at first sight. Throughout his career, the Serb has clashed with the fans from time to time. Most recently after his victory against Holger Rune in the round of 16 at Wimbledon.

Annoyed tennis star

Djokovic cuts short interview after third question about Wimbledon crowd

During the winner's interview after the match, the 37-year-old complained about prolonged shouts of "Ruuuuuune", which sounded like a "boo-hoo" - and perhaps they were meant to. Like you, like me, Djokovic must have thought to himself: "To all those who have decided not to respect me tonight, I wish you a good night. Good night, very good night!"

He was gone. At the press conference later, he had little desire to talk about the events in detail again. "Do you have any other questions apart from the audience? I mean, are you just focusing on that or do you have questions about the match or something like that? Or do you focus exclusively on that?"

A reporter tries to justify himself by pointing out that Djokovic brought up the subject himself after his match. Djokovic interrupts him: "Well, that's the third question. I said what I had to say."

Djokovic is now receiving praise for this behavior from former top player and current expert John McEnroe. In an interview with the BBC, he says: "Don't you think there have been at least 100 matches in the last 10 to 15 years where Djokovic has been treated disrespectfully because of his outstanding performances? What did he do that was so bad? Name something. Is it because he wants to win? Is it because he fights harder than almost anyone else? Is it because of his looks or his background?"

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Djokovic is like "Darth Vader compared to two of the most elegant players we've ever seen - Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Who can compete with what they have achieved? No one - and then Djokovic comes along and crashes the party. So how about finally showing him some respect? He's by far the one who's faced the worst headwind, and that's why I'd say he's the greatest to have ever played."

Never-ending anti-energy?

Anyone who wants to provoke Djokovic should expect consequences. In fact, he might even want to. The fans on Centre Court who intentionally or unintentionally provoked him on Monday only seemed to fuel his insatiable greed for success.

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"When people in the crowd provoke him and want Rune to win - that's the worst thing you can do," former Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman also said in an interview with the BBC. "He loves the confrontation. He thrives on that energy. And he plays better when he does. He destroyed Rune. If you want to detract from Djokovic's performance, you should just sit still."

"At 37 years old and the success Djokovic has achieved, I love that passion, that hunger and desire to win. It's brilliant," said the former top British player.

Djokovic will play his semi-final against Lorenzo Musetti on Friday, where he is the clear favorite. All the more likely if the crowd turns against him again.