German tennis great Boris Becker believes Novak Djokovic is being unfairly treated compared to the other two members of the Big Three and hopes he will now be seen in a different light following the US Open.
Djokovic narrowly missed out on becoming the first man since 1968 to achieve a Calendar Slam where a player wins all four major events within the same season. In the final of the US Open the world No.1 fell in straight sets to Daniil Medvedev after producing what he later described as a ‘below par’ performance. If he had won the tournament, he would have also surpassed both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to become the most decorated male Grand Slam singles player in history.
Although the final wasn’t entirely bittersweet for Djokovic who relished in the support of the New York crowd which at one stage brought tears to her eyes. Moments after the final, he said he would never forget the match due to the reception he got from the fans.
“I’ve never seen Novak cry on the tennis court. He must have really gone to his limit, or over the limit, emotionally,” Becker told Eurosport Germany.
“With all the expectations on himself, he must have been asked every day since Wimbledon whether he would win the Grand Slam or become the record holder with 21 majors. It came over him, so to speak. His speech after the event was all the more remarkable. Still with wet eyes he explained to the New Yorkers, ‘today is the most beautiful day of my life, because finally I feel that I am respected and loved’. And this on a day when he could not take advantage of what might have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win all the majors in one year.
“It was an incredible situation, a crazy moment in time.”
With the chance of making history in the US Open final, the former tennis star says Djokovic was unable to control his emotions on the court. Something Serbian admitted to during his press conference on Sunday.
Becker, who won six Grand Slam titles during his career, is the former coach of Djokovic. The two worked together for three seasons between 2014-2016 and won six major titles. Continuing his defence of Djokovic, the 53-year-old criticised what he perceives as unfair treatment by the media when the topic of the Big Three is discussed.
“I know Novak privately and professionally, and I can only say that he is a fine guy. A competitor who sometimes misbehaves on the court, but who doesn’t? The public, including the media, really have to get used to the fact that there are not just two, but three [legends], who have great qualities as players and as individuals,” he said.
It is not acceptable that Novak is always the bad guy and Roger and Rafa are always the good guys – that is unfair.
“I hope that these two weeks in New York, the final, the following speech and the reaction of the New York audience will ensure that he is finally seen in a different light.”
Continuing his criticism of the media, Becker says Djokovic is also often overlooked when it comes to his defence of his peers.
“He publicly stood up for [Stefanos] Tsitsipas [in the toilet break row] after the semi-final against [Alexander] Zverev; he often stands up for other players. That’s often swept under the rug and no one wants to perceive that in any way. There’s another side to him, and it’s very sympathetic. I hope for him and for his family that he’s finally treated a little more fairly than he has been until now.” He said.
So far this season Djokovic has won a total of four titles with three of those being in the majors. Overall, he has played 50 matches in 2021 and has won 44 of them. The only players to have defeated him are Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Pablo Carreno Busta, Nadal, Aslan Karatsev and Dan Evans.
