'Competing in the same era as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal...', says legend

As has often happened to him in the last twelve months, Novak Djokovic has ended up in the eye of the storm for some of his extra-tennis initiatives. The letter sent by the world's number 1 to Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley, calling for an easing of the Melbourne restrictions, was not particularly welcomed by the Australian public. Many have described the 17-time Grand Slam champion as selfish and callous, while others have questioned whether the Serb is fully aware of the serious effects of the global pandemic. Tiley himself tried to dampen the controversy by siding in defense of Nole, followed by legends of the caliber of Boris Becker and Chris Evert, who praised the intentions of the 33-year-old from Belgrade. In the last few hours, another former ATP number 1 has joined the ranks of his supporters. In an interview with Wide World of Sports, four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier said Djokovic did everything in his power to try to help his colleagues. According to the 4-time Grand Slam champion, Novak should be admired for being able to stand alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Courier talks about Novak Djokovic

"Novak Djokovic has gone out of his way to stand up for other players in Australia," Jim Courier stated. "He was being a leader and it just came off wrong in the public and I hope the Australian public will give him another chance to at least explain himself." Courier believes that despite winning 17 Slams, Novak Djokovic doesn't get enough adulation from fans. And that, according to the American, is because Djokovic is competing in the same era as two of the game's greatest superstars - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. "He is sensitive to public opinion," Courier said. "He spends energy trying to court public opinion and based on what he's done on the court he should be a huge fan favorite. He's just come up at a time that a lot of the fan base have decided they're a Roger (Federer) fan or a Rafael (Nadal) fan." This is not the first time Novak has looked out for his fellow players. Last year, he founded the Professional Tennis Players Association with Vasek Pospisil, to protect the interests of players on Tour. Moreover, the 8-time Australian Open champion issued a statement as soon as he saw his intentions being taken in the wrong sense. In the statement, he even apologized to the public despite having had good intentions. As the air clears out, the 17-time Grand Slam champion’s title defense will once again become a talking point. But this time around, he will have to battle through a hungry batch of next-generation players.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3orBNBK