Djokovic igjen

“Resilient” is a good word to describe Djokovic at this stage of his career—he’s needed to be. Controversies come and go, but he shrugs them off by continuing to play well. Whatever disaster may befall him at one major is quickly forgotten as he strives to win the next one; whatever off-court setbacks he may suffer are eventually drowned out by his on-court accomplishments.

I like Djokovic. As a player, I marvel at his consistency and his underrated artistry. As a fan, I like his reliably good sportsmanship in defeat. As a writer, I appreciate his thoughtful, famously long answers to questions in press conferences, and his desire to take on new challenges. I like that he doesn’t shy away from stating his sky-high on-court goals, and that he cares about records and achievements. And whatever the flaws were in his player-union launch, it’s an effort that was overdue in tennis, and one that he didn’t need to make. Fans roll their eyes at his antics and say that he “wants to be loved,” but for me that quality adds a poignant side to his story.

But it also seems that whatever Djokovic does, he’ll never get the benefit of the doubt from tennis fans. They don’t like his “clinical” game, or his roaring, clench-fisted celebrations. What they don’t like most, of course, is that he regularly beats their favorite players, Federer and Nadal.

Steve Tignor,Tennis.com 22. October 2020

Over the years, I have been repeatedly impressed by Djokovic’s resiliency, a level of determination largely aided by his unsurpassed discipline, efficiency and technique. If not quite as visible as Nadal’s intensity or Federer’s versatility, Djokovic’s assets also make him a tennis genius. Week in and week out, one year after another, he has proven reliable and sustainable.

Joel Drucker, Tennis.com22. October 2020

For min egen del vil jeg legge til at han kommer til å spille til han har slått alle rekorder, eller kroppen hans gir opp. Jeg håper det første, om ikke annet enn for å gi alle fans av Fedal som har gitt Novak ufortjent tyn opp gjennom årene noe å tygge på. 

Tennisspillere på dette nivået har tekniske ferdigheter av en annen verden, koordinasjon i toppklasse, og både hurtighet som en 100 meterløper og utholdenhet som en maratonløper. I tillegg til alt dette har Novak mykhet som en gymnast - se bare her. 

Her får Novak sin første racket - på fireårsdagen 22. mai 1991: