Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has had an exceptional season of tennis. True to his style, Novak has broken and created new records this year and has raised the bar for the sport. His father, Srdjan Djokovic, and former coach, Nikola Pilic, took this opportunity to shower praise on Novak. At the same time, Pilic lambasted the Western media for downplaying his achievements.
Djokovic has been on a roll throughout the year. He won three of the four major Grand Slams, with Wimbledon being the only exception. However, he was on course to win the silverware at SW19 as well, before Carlos Alcaraz stopped the Djokovic juggernaut. The Serb has also won a number of ATP titles, with the most recent being the Nitto ATP Finals, the seventh of his career.
In a recent interview, Pilic slammed the Western media, which do not treat Novak the same way as some others. His main complaint was that Djokovic was not celebrated like Roger Federer.
The hypocrisy in tennis is appalling and actually laughable. Olympics (which is not a major title, if we’re being honest) was never part of the conversation when Roger was leading. What makes it so special now? @atptour pic.twitter.com/Xhh2dfujLK
— DjokerForLife (@SelmaNkelo) November 20, 2023
Nikola thinks that Djokovic is the GOAT, but fans belittle him while extolling Federer. He also cited how he saw the Swiss ace on the cover of a magazine just after Djokovic won the ATP Finals.
“The Western press belittles Novak’s every success and they don’t want to accept that he is the GOAT, and that is already a finished story. Today I received a German magazine and on the cover is Federer in a tuxedo. What will Federer do on the front page the day after the tournament in Turin?” he wondered (via Kurir).
Novak Djokovic took on Jannik Sinner in the finals and defeated him 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets. Moreover, he created another massive record this week.
Srdjan Djokovic speaks out against hypocrisy
Novak reached a historic landmark in his career this week. The Serb has now spent 400 weeks as the world’s number-one player. Moreover, he won his seventh ATP Finals title, surpassing Federer, who had six.
Srdjan Djokovic shed light on the hypocrisy that his son is subjected to ever so often. He added that when Federer held the spot for 310 weeks, he was called the GOAT. However, when Djokovic broke his record, the focus shifted to Steffi Graf, who spent 377 weeks at the top.
“For 15 years, he has been the best in the world in all possible categories. And of course, that annoys them all, and they are unable to admit that he is the best in the world,” he said.
Novak has also spoken about the discrimination he has faced in the past since he is Serbian. However, all the negative talk has only strengthened his resolve to be the best.