"Novak Djokovic is not everyone's cup of tea because he comes from a small country" - Nikola Pilic
Former Roland Garros runner-up Nikola Pilic believes Novak Djokovic is underappreciated by Westerners as he hails from Serbia, a country that's not held in the same regard as the more developed nations in the world.
However, Pilic reckons Djokovic has done more than enough to boost his country's reputation on the global platform.
Djokovic is one win away from claiming a historic Calendar Slam. Should the Serb beat Daniil Medvedev in Sunday's US Open final, he will also move past Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's all-time tally of 20 Majors.
But despite Djokovic's staggering success, many continue to see the Serb in a negative light due to a multitude of reasons, including his off-court controversies and on-court demeanor.
Nikola Pilic, for his part, pointed out during a recent conversation with Reuters that Djokovic is not "everyone's cup of tea" as he hails from a "small" country.
"Djokovic is not everyone's cup of tea because he comes from a small country and is hence not appreciated enough by droves of Anglo-American and European tennis fans," Pilic said.
But the Croat, who coached the Serb during his formative years, considers Djokovic more than just a tennis player due to his immense contributions off the court.
"Whether someone likes him or not, he has a lot of character and personality," Pilic added. "He has done Serbia proud, he's done heaps to improve the country's international reputation and for me he is more than just a great tennis player."
Pilic then went on to explain how Djokovic has become the player he is today by constantly testing his limits and pushing himself to improve. The Croat revealed that the Serb's natural talent was evident from a very young age, which is why he and Djokovic's father, Srdjan, always maintained their faith in the World No. 1.
"You can't tell someone's limits when they are just teenagers but doing things the hard way has definitely made Djokovic tougher," Pilic told Reuters. "It's a thin line and there were no guarantees that he would even go on to become a top 10 player, but his natural talent was obvious. More importantly, it was matched by his commitment, work rate and mental strength.
"It was obvious from the start at my academy that he was something special and that is why his father and I always believed in him," Pilic added.
Winning the 2010 Davis Cup was a turning point in Novak Djokovic's career: Bogdan Obradovic
Former Serbian Davis Cup captain Bogdan Obradovic also spoke to Reuters about Novak Djokovic's career. Obradovic believes the biggest turning point in Djokovic's career came in 2010 when he helped Serbia win their maiden Davis Cup title.
"Winning the 2010 Davis Cup title was a turning point in Novak's career but first and foremost, it was the result of an eight-year long process of building him into the player and man he has become," Obradovic told Reuters.
Although Djokovic had won a Slam before 2010, he had struggled with multiple facets of his game, including his fitness and mentality. However, the World No. 1 invested a great deal of time and effort to improve and ended up winning three of the four Slams on offer in 2011.