"I know that not everyone will like me, people have their favourites" - Novak Djokovic addresses perception of him 'thriving' amid hostile crowds
Novak Djokovic has opened up about his mindset when faced with hostile crowds and the perception of him thriving in such environments. The candid conversation took place with Nick Kyrgios, who is no stranger to unfriendly audiences.
Djokovic has frequently found himself on the receiving end of the audience's hostility, finding clever methods to deal with it by mockingly orchestrating the spectators' boos or simply silencing them with his performance.
During a recent appearance on the 'Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios' podcast, Kyrgios inquired whether the World No. 1 prefers being seen as the villain by the crowd rather than the favorite and how he feeds off the negative energy.
Novak Djokovic disclosed that while many believe he "thrives" on adversarial crowds, it's more about using whatever energy is available to him to pull off the win.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion also emphasized the importance of staying true to himself despite knowing that not everyone will like him for it, especially when he faces crowd favorites or underdogs.
"I don’t know, it really depends. People think that I really thrive on that energy when somebody doesn’t like me or I’m facing adversity on and off the court. Sometimes I do because that’s the only thing I have in that moment. I have to find a solution," he said (at 8:30).
"I have to find a way to win a tennis match and be who I am, be true to myself. I know that not everyone will like me. I know that people of course have their favourite players or maybe they want an underdog to win and things like that happen," he added.
Highlighting his vast experience of playing in front of both supportive and unfriendly crowds, Djokovic admitted that the hostility can sometimes be distracting, while on other occasions, he remains "locked in."
"I’ve been on the tour for so long and I’ve experienced some great atmospheres in my favor and great atmospheres against me. But I think in the end of the day, you really have to understand the moment, understand how you’re feeling because you’re not going to feel the same every single day," Djokovic said.
"There’s going to be days where you’re going to be distracted by what’s happening outside these lines and there’s going to be days you’re so locked in that whatever happens, whatever anybody says, you’re dialed in and you know exactly what you need to do as far as on-court goes," he added.
Novak Djokovic: "I want to have a good relationship with people, I care about making people happy with my tennis"
During the same podcast, Novak Djokovic also opened up about dealing with the media's hostility, admitting that engaging with negative articles only serves to anger him, so he chooses to avoid responding to them.
"As far as off-court goes, obviously over the years I’ve learned the lessons in a hard way. Like sometimes when you respond to every article that you read or every single statement that somebody makes of you, it’s not going to get you far. It’s only going to piss you off and I don’t want to live in that kind of emotions," Djokovic said (at 9:37).
Although the World No. 1 acknowledged that such negative press can sometimes provide a much-needed jolt, he prefers to enjoy his life and foster good relationships instead.
"Sometimes you need to be woken up, sometimes you need to be shaken up to get the best out of yourself but most of the time I really want to enjoy life," he said.
"I want to have a good relationship with people, I really care about this sport. I care about playing in front of people and making hopefully people happy with my tennis and that’s what it’s all about," he added.
Djokovic recently competed at the Italian Open, where he suffered a shock 6-2, 6-3 defeat to Alejandro Tabilo in the third round. He will be back in action for his title defense at the French Open, pursuing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.