McEnroe on Djokovic: “He is like Darth Vader”
John McEnroe believes that Novak Djokovic is too often disrespected, simply because of ‘how good he is.’
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During his fourth-round Wimbledon showdown with Holger Rune, Novak Djokovic was clearly frustrated by certain members in the Centre Court crowd frequently booing him – according to the Serbian – under the guise of cheering for Rune. This frustration was echoed by Djokovic after the match, where he gave his views to reporters and even walked out of a BBC interview after being asked three times about these dynamics with the crowd.
Subsequently, legendary tennis player John McEnroe has come to the seven-time Wimbledon champion’s defence. McEnroe, never one to shy away from controversy during his playing days, believes that Djokovic has been unfairly treated for the majority of his career:
“Don’t you think there’s been at least 100 matches over the course of the last 10-15 years that Djokovic has been disrespected because of how good he is? What has he done that’s so bad? Name something. What is it, he wants it? He competes as hard as anyone who’s ever competed? Is it the look? Where he’s from?
He’s like the Darth Vader compared to two of the classiest acts we’ve seen play tennis in Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
— John McEnroe on comparing Djokovic to Nadal and Federer
McEnroe also believes that some of the disrespect parceled out to Djokovic is due to unfair comparisons between Djokovic and the other two members of the ‘Big 3’ – Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer:
“He’s like the Darth Vader compared to two of the classiest acts we’ve seen play tennis in Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer,” the three-time Wimbledon champion said. “Who can compare to them in terms of what they brought to the table? Nobody – and then this guy Djokovic spoils the party. So then how about respecting him after all this? He’s by far the guy who’s taken the worst heat and that’s why I would say he’s the greatest that’s ever played.”
