Controversial tennis ace Novak Djokovic has once again attracted attention for all the wrong reasons after throwing a tantrum at Wimbledon for calling out his opponent’s name.
The crowd appeared to be cheering for his opponent, Holger Rune, simply chanting “Rune!” but Djokovic, as usual, saw it differently and claimed they were booing him.
Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes of this century, but his frequent involvement with medical quackery means that this description cannot possibly apply to his views on health and science.
His obsession with becoming a tennis god has at times led him into the realms of fad and pseudoscience, to the shock of many fans.
Djokovic – whose net worth is estimated at around £200 million and who owns two penthouses in New York, a luxury apartment in Miami Beach and a mansion in Marbella – some even believe there are people plotting against him.
In an on-court interview on Monday night, the seven-time champion blasted what he perceived as booing directed at him during his straight-set win.
“I want to say thank you and say hello from the bottom of my heart to all the fans who were here tonight out of respect,” he began, “and to all those who chose not to show any respect to the player (in this case me), have a good night.”
BBC interviewer Rishi Persad looked rather perplexed and said: “Hopefully they were just commenting on the runes and not disrespecting you.”
That didn’t bother Djokovic, who has a proven track record of captivating crowds. “The crowd was captivating,” he said. [disrespecting me]”I don’t accept that,” he insisted. “No, no, no. I know they were rooting for the Loons, but that’s also an excuse to boo.”
“Look, I’ve been on tour for over 20 years. I know all the tricks. I focus on the respectful people who pay for their tickets. I love tennis and I appreciate the players. I’ve played in tougher conditions. Trust me, you’re no match for me.”
Rune himself said, “I mean, if you didn’t know what was going on, it probably sounded like Boo. But if we all knew what happened, it was my name.”
Djokovic won the match 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, playing by far his best game of the championship so far, as Rune struggled, losing the first 12 points of the match and never fully recovered after that.
In the press conference afterwards, Djokovic stood by what he said.
“If I feel that the crowd has crossed a line, I will respond,” he said. “I do not regret my words or actions on the court.”
He also tweeted a photo of himself stretching across the court to pick up the ball after the game, captioning it, “Sliding in for the quarter. Good night.”
Nick Kyrgios, known for his on-court panic attacks, told BBC Sport after the match: ” [booing] But I think the global audience needs to understand that Novak doesn’t need any extra motivation to play better.
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“He’s got a lot of drive. He’s one of the best players in the world. I’ve seen it many times. The crowd wants to attack him but you don’t want to do that against Novak.”
“He loves it. When I play against him I try not to provoke him… but I really am not good at it. Of course, it cost me the Wimbledon final.”
“He doesn’t need any extra motivation to prove to anyone that he’s the greatest player of all time.”
Clare Balding joined in, saying: “When Sue Barker came on the other day people were screaming ‘Sueeeeeee’. I don’t think they were booing.”
Djokovic’s relationship with the crowd hasn’t always been friendly: After his win over Roger Federer in the 2019 final, his former coach Boris Becker said Djokovic deserved more respect from the crowd that cheered on the Swiss star.
And two years ago, he was booed for blowing kisses to fans after his semi-final win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie.
Last year, he thrilled the crowds in the Wimbledon final against 20-year-old Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic again blew kisses to the fans as the crowd occasionally cheered on the underdog Alcaraz.
He was booed during the final after he became frustrated and slammed his racket into the net post, argued with the umpire and glared at the Centre Court crowd.
And in January, the tennis superstar slammed new rules allowing fans to travel between matches at the Australian Open, yelling at them to “shut up”.
In Wednesday’s quarterfinals, Djokovic will be lucky enough to not face a player with a monosyllabic surname that contains the letter u or two o’s. It will be easy to distinguish the boos directed at him from the support for Alex de Minaur.
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However, the pair have a history of clashes over Djokovic’s vaccination during the pandemic.
Australian star de Minaur was one of world tennis’ most vocal critics of Djokovic’s expulsion from the country and ban from the Australian Open.
“Australians have been through a lot,” he said at the time. “It’s no secret. They’ve been in a very tough situation. They’ve put in a lot of effort to protect themselves and their borders.”
He also laughed during a press conference with fellow Australian Jason Kubler after learning that Djokovic had failed in his appeal and was set to be deported from Australia.
After losing to Djokovic last year, he told reporters: “I have nothing to do with him.”
“I respect him as a competitor, as a colleague and just like everyone else. I have no problem reaching out to him and congratulating him.”
“But there’s nothing else going on. I’m not in contact with him. He’s shown me how he feels about me in 2022.”
Of course, Djokovic has some highly enviable qualities, from his language skills (he speaks seven languages) to his sporting prowess (he has won 24 Grand Slam titles, including seven at Wimbledon).
But it turns out that this ability isn’t always as strong as you’d think: Together with self-proclaimed health entrepreneur Charvin Jaafariyeh, he has promoted the idea that the power of positive thinking can purify polluted water, making it safe to drink.
Meanwhile, his wife has floated a conspiracy theory that the coronavirus is linked to 5G cell towers.
His anti-vaccination views are likely to be a factor in his decision to resign in 2022. He triumphantly posted on Facebook that he was evading vaccination requirements and heading to Australia for undisclosed reasons, sparking public outrage and ultimately leading to his deportation.
This brutal clash with public opinion had been planned since the start of the pandemic and was long overdue.
Shortly after the incident, he took part in a live discussion on Facebook with other Serbian athletes.
“Personally, I’m against vaccinations and I don’t want someone to force me to get vaccinated in order to travel,” he said. “But what if it becomes mandatory? I’ll have to make a decision.”
The roots of his health beliefs go beyond the coronavirus pandemic, to early 10 years ago, when he diagnosed himself with a wheat allergy by shoving a slice of bread down his stomach.
In 2016, he began working with Spain coach Pepe Imaz, a staunch believer in meditation whose theories extend to literally hugging trees. Imaz invented the “peace and love” gesture that accompanies the Serbian team’s post-victory matches.
When Djokovic began having problems with his elbow the following year, he tried holistic treatments but ultimately opted for traditional surgery, later revealing that he cried for three days after the operation because natural remedies had failed to solve the problem.
At the time, he was already a big proponent of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (exposing the body to pure oxygen at much higher pressures than normal) and actually loaded a mobile hyperbaric oxygen therapy machine onto his truck, parked it in Flushing Meadows and took it to the U.S. Open.
Only after the virus brought the world to a halt did the full extent of his unconventional views become more clear.
And he has organised the ill-fated “Adriatic Tour”, a series of exhibitions around the Balkans, giving the middle finger to all sorts of anti-Covid restrictions.
Amid rowdy nightclubs and closely packed basketball matches, many attendees, including Djokovic and his wife, tested positive for the virus.
The experience chastised him, but it didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for spiritual pursuits: He regularly visits, for example, the Bosnian pyramids, which some believe emanate mystical energy.
These are a series of pointed hills that local archaeologists claim are man-made, but other experts denounce them as complete fabrications.
Away from the sports world, many have already criticised him, but his views on vaccines are more nuanced than sometimes portrayed.
The 2022 ATP Tour event in Belgrade that he and his family are hosting has arranged for anyone who wants to be vaccinated to get vaccinated on-site.
It should also be said that no athlete has a greater record of donating to charity throughout the pandemic.
Also, despite his wealth, he is trying to push through the tennis players’ union without any benefit to himself.
He has always maintained his position on vaccines is about freedom of choice and what people put into their bodies, and given his missed opportunity in Melbourne 2022, his continued position could be seen as self-defeating as well as principled.
If he were to return, one group would surely be rooting for him: Victoria’s large Serb population, several of whom famously showed up to the Australian Open wearing T-shirts bearing the ever-apt slogan, “Novak vs the World.”