Djokovic-Azarenka: Like them or not, they are our champions

We have often let our lives to be governed by certain pre-conceived notions. Blindly riding on those notions, we have proceeded to have our own likes and dislikes. Inflexible as we are, we have always been staying obdurate and adamant – not quite prepared to change our opinions – dwelling, like I said, on pre-conceived notions.

Letting such conceptualized opinions to decide our liking and disliking can be better explained by our choice of adoring or disregarding various sporting idols. Following a certain sport for ages, we let a few thoughts register in our mind which, after a point of time, become totally unchangeable. As a result, we even fail to appreciate a few good deeds in a person who has already got into our bad books due to various reasons. On the other hand, the moment we start liking a person, we tend to overlook some of his bad deeds too. So much so, we will try and dig out every possible reason to defend our liking for him.

The popularity of tennis, as a sport, dates back to the golden years of Steffi Graf. Though we had seen many champions before the advent of the only Golden Slam winner in the world of tennis, her calm and composed attitude had always captured our imagination. Not to mention, she was also one of the best players ever to have worn a tennis attire, male or female. The market for women’s tennis was flourishing during her regime. More so, even men’s tennis took a back seat, following the sort of fan-following which the German used to have. In short, she was the champion who everyone looked up to.

The tables were turned soon and in what seemed to be a dramatic turn-around we saw women’s tennis getting brutally sidelined, mainly due to the endeavours of just one individual from the opposite sex who gave tennis a new look altogether. If tennis now has a larger audience than it had ever before, then that credit of bringing huge viewership to the game should go to no one other than Roger Federer. He has been impressing us not only because of the way he has learnt to play high quality tennis, better than the rest, but also due to the manner in which he presents himself as an individual to the outside world, even when he is off the court.

Having got ourselves familiarized with the sort of champions like Federer and Graf, we expect every champion to inherit their qualities. When certain players’ behaviour tells a completely different tale, we presume them to be bad sports, labelling them in our own ways. Unearthing something what we construe as unethical, we tend to overlook various good elements which are present in a champion.

Very recently, I have seen various criticisms on Victoria Azarenka’s medical time outs. I have heard many people calling her a cheat for living on time outs and for faking injuries. Many tennis fans loathe her for this. Her temperament has always been under the scanner and she is often accused of being unsporting. Everyone conveniently misses out looking at all the positives of her career, though. What she is now is entirely different from what she was in 2007. She was ranked  somewhere in the nineties back then. From there on, quite consistently, we have been seeing her climbing up the ranking ladder by constantly improving her game. She was neither like Sharapova nor Hingis, who broke into the scene with Grand Slam victories. Her progress was slow, but steady. She had to work very hard for many years before claiming her first Grand Slam title – the Australian Open 2012.

Not only did she claim her first major last season, but also went further up and made that year her own, notwithstanding Serena winning two Grand Slam titles. Her perseverance and hard work paid off big time as she finished the season as World No.1. Those tennis fans who criticized her for her temperament and attitude never bothered to applaud her for what she has achieved. Even after all the criticism, she successfully defended her Australian Open crown, beating Li Na of China in a hostile atmosphere, after dropping the first set.

The Belarusian was never cheered in the entire match. Every point of her competitor was welcomed with rousing applause and she was totally ignored. Yet, she never let that uncongenial environment affect her game as she made a great comeback winning the final, proving to the whole world why she came to Australia as tournament’s top seed. Have we ever acclaimed her for that? We kept on focusing on a few other negative things in her, which could have been otherwise ignored.

The same has been the case with Djokovic in men’s section. Not that he is unpopular as a tennis player, but it is sad to see most of the game’s followers ridiculing him even now for what he has done in the past. Federer never used to do it nor did Sampras. So, does that mean no one should do it? Is there a thumb rule in tennis or any other sport that a champion should be behaving in a certain way. It was not just about impersonating players that he has always been accused for. He was perceived as an arrogant person. He tears his shirt (Hulk Hogan style) and pumps his chest with a few more antics to follow. These actions of his are often construed as acts of  arrogance and most of the people deride him for that.

Well, has he really been arrogant? Those who have labelled him so would not have watched each and every match that he has competed in closely. Other than Steffi Graf, I have never come across any tennis player who acknowledges opponents’ shots. I see that quality in Djokovic. Even if he is down in the dumps in any match, he never fails to appreciate his opponent for a good shot. Even if he loses a very important match, he never puts on a grim face. Rather he goes with an unpretending smiling face, congratulating his adversary. But have we ever cared to notice this positive side of him? He did wonders as a player in 2011 when Federer and Nadal looked almost unstoppable in Grand Slams, beating them at will. He carved a niche for himself in the world of tennis and is well on course to becoming one of the greatest players ever. Have we ever commended him for the efforts which he had put in as a tennis professional?. On the contrary, we have been criticizing him for insignificant acts.

There are a few things we may not like about Djokovic and Azarenka. But we should not forget that not all human beings are the same. Everyone is unique due to the way they were brought up. If we understand that fact, then we will learn to respect other players too. Just because we had seen champions of the past behaving in a particular manner, we cannot consider them as bench marks for others to follow. If the Belarusian or the Serb break their racquets, that display of temper should not be considered as a a misdeed. Such sort of action only shows that the players are angry with themselves for missing out on certain points and they just give vent to their fury by destroying their racquets.

In the same way, if Novak comes up with a very vocal celebration that does not mean he is disrespecting the other player. It is just that he has not learned to hide his emotions and so ends up exposing them to the entire world. All said and done, he never forgets to shake the hand of the losing players. After all, the efforts that the players had put in from their childhood days is for competing and winning in the big stage. It’s time we give them their due respect.