Misc Tennis

Controversy follows Djokovic everywhere — but he keeps winning

Controversy follows Djokovic everywhere -- but he keeps winning

On Monday after his first-round win, Novak Djokovic was asked about a study done earlier in May evaluating which players receive proportionally the most negative messages on social media.

The study came back with Djokovic as the leading candidate on the men’s side.

“Does that surprise you?” Djokovic said at the news conference. “I’d be surprised if it were any way different. As Kobe Bryant used to say, ‘Haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They hate the great ones.'”

On Sunday, Djokovic faces Juan Pablo Varillas in the fourth round as he tries to cement his spot in men’s tennis immortality. Djokovic has 22 Grand Slams — a record only matched by Rafael Nadal in the men’s game. He will go down as an all-time great, but has been a polarizing figure in tennis.

Last year started with deportation from Australia, then he was later unable to play at the US Open at the end of the year because of his unvaccinated status. He might have wanted 2023 to be a year where the focus was purely on his incredible on-court record. But here at Roland Garros the narrative has been dominated by what he wrote on a camera at the end of his opening-round win over Aleksandar Kovacevic: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop the violence.” The comments received criticism from the Kosovo Tennis Federation, while the French minister of sport Amelie Oudea-Castera called them “not appropriate.”

After two days of political blowback and criticism of his Kosovo comments, Djokovic was asked Wednesday after his second-round victory over Marton Fucsovics whether he regretted the sentiments. He responded: “I’m aware that a lot of people would disagree, but it is what it is. It’s something that I stand for. So that’s all.”

In Paris, there has also been a fascination with some of his takes on technology. During the victory over Fucsovics, television cameras showed him changing shirts, with a small, cent-sized device attached to his chest. When asked about it afterward, Djokovic didn’t elaborate. “You know, my team delivers an incredibly efficient nanotechnology to help me deliver my best on the court, so…

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