"I remember at Players Show in Monte-Carlo I imitated Britney Spears, I had denim shorts and a wig, my mother was so shocked" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic made a name for himself in his early days as one of the funniest characters on the tennis circuit, imitating players like Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer among others. But that side of the World No. 1 is very rarely seen these days.
Speaking at a press conference after defeating Stan Wawrinka in straight sets in the third round of the 2022 Italian Open, the Serb expanded on the topic.
#Djokovic: "Nobody told me to stop doing imitations, but I saw how people looked my on last period. Anyway about Montecarlo Player Show I remember one year myself playing Britney Spears wearing a wig and denim shorts. My mother was shocked and from then on I stopped".
#IBI22 https://t.co/KaFHWgT7TT
The 20-time Grand Slam champion recalled how shocked his mother was to watch him dress up as Britney Spears during a players' party in Monte-Carlo many years ago. The 34-year-old said it was one of the reasons he stopped his imitations, but hopes to get back to doing low-key impersonations in the future.
"How come I don't do more imitations and I am more serious than in the past? I always enjoy myself, but not just for the cameras," he said. "I remember when at the Players Show in Monte Carlo I imitated Britney Spears - I had denim shorts and a wig, my mother was so shocked. After that I had to stop for a while. Maybe I don't have to do extreme things, but maybe I'll go back to doing imitations."
"He's one of the leaders of the next generation, hopefully, I can get another win" - Novak Djokovic on QF clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime in Rome
Following his victory over Stan Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic will take on Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Italian Open on Friday. The World No. 9 defeated Marcos Giron in his third-round fixture to set up a meeting with the top seed.
for Djokovic 
Sweet 1️⃣6️⃣ for Djokovic 👏
He defeats Wawrinka 6-2 6-2 & has now reached the QFs in Rome every year since 2007!
@DjokerNole | @InteBNLdItalia | #IBI22 https://t.co/wboOfmHrsU
During the press conference, the World No. 1 lavished praise on the Canadian, stating that he was looking forward to playing against him for the first time.
[Felix Auger-Aliassime] has been around for a few years. Interesting how we never faced each other. Well, clay's not his favorite surface," Djokovic said. "I think he's been improving a lot on clay. He's been working with Toni Nadal for the last couple of years, who has definitely been contributing to his game on clay."
Hailing Auger-Aliassime as "one of the leaders" of the Next Gen, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said he hoped he could eke out a win against a very "complete" player.
Forza Felix!
Feels like things are coming together for Felix Auger-Aliassime.
After going on a bit of a walkabout since his strong run in February, the Canadian has notched some impressive wins lately.
Felix advances to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron. https://t.co/loSPxLBgp8
"He's an established top-20, top-10 player for few years. Very complete game. Very nice guy. Works hard," he said. "He's one of the leaders of the next generation."
The Serb played his first two matches in Rome during the day session, but his quarterfinal clash with Auger-Aliassime will be in the night. Djokovic sounded confident that he could prevail against the eighth seed regardless of the conditions.
"We're going to play at night, I think. That's what the schedule is. It's going to be different conditions. Hopefully, I can get another win," he said.