It is a known fact that Novak Djokovic has received innumerable backlashes and boos from fans and crowds alike. Not the one to cave in or budge, he has always responded to criticism by staying focused and feeding off the negativity to let the results speak for themselves. In other words, when thrown into the corner, the Serb somehow finds motivation to come up with trumps.
The latest incident concerning the crowd taunts against Novak Djokovic came during his Round-of-16 match against Tallon Griekspoor at the Paris Masters. It was when the Serb opted for a medical timeout after he lost five successive games to surrender the opening set. As the doctor treated him, some thought that Djokovic was trying deceit to put Griekspoor, off.
In the latest case, Andreea Prisacariu of Romania came to the defense of Novak Djokovic saying that it is more about jealousy on the part of others towards world no.1. She stated, “These people who are saying that Nole is faking injuries. I have a question for y’all. Why when only he calls for doctor suddenly you all come out and say he is faking? But when others do it is completely fine?”
And by the way, just so you know. Even the number 1 in the world is allowed to feel bad or a bit weak on court. He is human. AND I believe that Djoko is one of a few that actually know what sportsmanship looks like. So don’t start complaining about how he calls the doctor.
— Prisacariu Andreea (@IamPrisacariuA) November 2, 2023
Prisacariu took to X to write that even the best in the world have their nitty-gritty and could feel weak on the court, as they too are human. Stating that she firmly believes that Novak is one of the few who knows what sportsmanship should be like, Andreea claimed, “So don’t start complaining about how he calls the doctor.”
After the match, Djokovic went on to reveal, “I’ve been struggling the last couple of days with my stomach and I just didn’t feel myself at all.” The Serb felt he got lucky with a couple of shots, as otherwise, the match could have easily tilted in favor of the Dutch. Overall, Novak felt happy that he was able to rise to the challenge and complete a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, victory.
Novak Djokovic surpasses Rafael Nadal in this unique Masters 1000 stat
Novak Djokovic already possesses several much-vaunted records to his name in tennis history. He already has the record for the most number of Grand Slam titles with 24 and most weeks spent as the no.1 ranked player on the ATP ratings with 397, to his name. But, Novak Djokovic has an enviable record at the Masters 1000 events, as well.
Djoker Nole, not only holds the record for the most career Masters 1000 titles with 39 to his credit, but he also has the distinction of being the only player to win a “Career Golden Masters”. The feat honors a player who has won each of the nine Masters 1000 events at least once in their career. The Serb has won all of them at least twice, thus winning a “Double” Career Golden Masters.
Novak Djokovic added another feather to his already illustrious cap of records when he won his quarterfinals against Holger Rune,7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4 at the Paris Masters. With the win, Novak went past Rafael Nadal for the highest winning percentage in the history of Masters 1000 events. They are the only two players to have it above 80%.
TRADEMARK @DjokerNole 🥵#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/MoskoRpwFc
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 3, 2023
He improved his win-loss record to 397-86 at such events with a percentage of 82.1946%, ahead of Rafael Nadal’s 82.1862%, with a record of 406-88. Rune had defeated Djokovic in their last two meetings, but the world no.1 had this under control and nearly closed it out in straight sets. But the Dane fended off a match point in the second set and forced a third only for Novak to seal it.