Former Wimbledon doubles champion Frederik Nielsen feels it is a shame that Novak Djokovic does not embrace his real self as a tennis player.
The retired former doubles player also argued that criticism of Holger Rune’s attitude shows how dull a tennis generation has surfaced on the ATP circuit.
Djokovic has bounced back from a meniscus tear injury and is currently competing at 2024 Wimbledon Championships where he is set to face Dane Holger Rune for their R16 matchup later today.
The legendary Serbian is seeking to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and also seal a record-extending 25th major crown. Djokovic who underwent a meniscus surgery on right knee just a fortnight ago has dispatched Vit Kopriva, home hope Jacob Fearnley and Aussie Alexei Popyrin to reach the final 16.
Talking with SpilXperten in an interview, Nielsen compared Rune’s on-court persona to the disposition of other tour-fellows as he called on Djokovic to remain true to the person he is.
“The talk about his (Rune’s) temperament maybe shows how dull a generation there has been,” said Nielsen. “If he had played in the 80s or 90s, it would have been completely normal. He might not even have been noticed.
“But because the others are so ‘vanilla,’ he stands out a bit. I think, for example, that it’s a shame that Novak Djokovic doesn’t just embrace being himself and stand by the person he is.”
Former Wimbledon finalist and ATP #13 Nick Kyrgios recently contested the views shared by Nielsen saying that Djokovic does now embrace being himself.
“Now when he goes on court, he doesn’t care. He goes on court, he’s okay being the villain,” the big-serving Maverick Aussie said on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
“Like, the people scream out to him and I’ve watched him, they poke the bear and he turns around and ends up playing amazing and he can’t be beaten.
“And early in his career I felt like he always wanted the crowd to be on his side, he always wanted people to embrace him, and now I feel like he’s listened to that and he’s actually embraced being the villain.
“Because he’s a bit of an anti-hero in the tennis world. I don’t think there’s a lot of people that love and also don’t like him, but he embraces that.”