Published 02/04/2023, 9:00 AM EST
As evidenced by his victories on the tennis courts, Novak Djokovic has attained grandeur. Further, the tennis realm has lauded the Serbian tennis star for being a striking figure on the ATP tour. Along with getting praised by the fans, the current world No. 1 player has also received a lot of hate and backlash from them. Perhaps, he is the most hated player among the Big 3 of tennis that includes other greats, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The American tennis legend, Jimmy Connors has the same belief as he recently opened about up the criticism faced by the Australian Open champion. Speaking of it, Connors also detailed how all that hate drove Djokovic to achieve greatness.
Jimmy Connors on Novak Djokovic and his triumphs on the ATP tour
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The former American tennis player was recently featured in his renowned podcast, ‘Advantage Connors,‘ in which he gave his assessment of Djokovic’s triumph in Melbourne. Meanwhile, he also talked about how a lot of people in the tennis community have often thrown a lot of backlash at the Serbian tennis legend. Jimmy Connors, however, also said that Djokovic has used that hate to achieve greatness on the tennis court.
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He stated, “Hate drives you right? You know, and, you know, sometimes, you know, whether I don’t care if you’re a tennis player or a golfer, you know, oh, wait, wait, wait, I’m not going to talk to anybody else. I’m not going to do that because boy, I got shipped for that in the past.”
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 06: Tennis great Jimmy Connors smiles after an interview during Day Eleven of the 2012 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 6, 2012 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Connors said that he believes that Djokovic has always strived for greatness despite getting embroiled in various controversies. Notably, he added, “So I’m going to say that sometimes you got to find a reason to dig deeper and to come out on top and to win.”
He further revealed the qualities and the attitude a great tennis player should possess.
The former tennis player said, “You know, every great player, they won’t admit it, but they’ll find something that pushes them to the level.”
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Connors recently praised another ATP player during the Australian Open
It is not just the Serbian tennis legend who impressed Connors during the Grand Slam event in Melbourne. The former tennis player previously showered praise on his compatriot, Ben Shelton during the other episode of his podcast show. Having played the toughest tournament, NCAA, Connors knew about the American tennis prodigy’s talents and skills.
The 8 singles Grand Slam champion further lauded Shelton for playing in the tough conditions of the NCAA. Connors added that his game has been enhanced after that tournament and it also took him to the next level.
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What do you think of Connors’ assessment of the current ATP players? Let us know in the comments section.