Novak Djokovic will get "more respect" from fans as time goes on, believes John McEnroe
Following a heckling incident in Novak Djokovic's quarterfinal match at the ongoing 2023 Australian Open, tennis legend John McEnroe stated that the Serb will gain "more respect" gradually over time.
The nine-time champion advanced to the semifinals after defeating fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals on Wednesday (January 25) at Melbourne Park. The 35-year-old comfortably beat the Russian ace 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. The fourth seed, who had his left thigh strapped again, will face American Tommy Paul in the semifinals on Friday (January 27).
During the quarterfinal contest, both players were forced to stop playing at one point due to a particularly loud heckler, who umpire James Keothavong later warned. This is also not the first time the former World No. 1 has faced heckling in the 2023 edition of the Australian Open, having experienced a similar problem during his fourth-round match against Alex de Minaur.
Following this, John McEnroe, who has long been vocal in his support for Djokovic, stated that the 21-time Grand Slam winner deserves "more respect" and that he will receive it as "time goes on."
"In my book, he deserves more respect. I feel as time goes on, he will get more and more respect," McEnroe said.
The former American tennis pro went on to say that Djokovic has successfully touched and perhaps even "surpassed" the high standards set by two other legends of the sport, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, in terms of both class acts and gameplay.
"Obviously, we are talking about two of the most supremely talented a class acts the game has ever seen in Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal]. For me, Roger [Federer] is the most beautiful player I’ve very seen play and Rafa’s [Nadal] intensity is so great, but Novak [Djokovic] has done a great job of getting in the mix and possibly surpassing both of them at some point," McEnroe said.
"His style of play is so technically solid that it is sometimes taken for granted. His toughness and mental strength is also so impressive. He is four or five years younger than Roger [Federer] and he already had that mantel when Novak [Djokovic] broke on the scene. It’s tough at that point to get it off him," he added.
"If Novak Djokovic is playing at the level we saw against De Minaur, I expect him to win the tournament" - John McEnroe
John McEnroe then gave his verdict on Novak Djokovic's injury, admitting that it was a mystery since the injury didn't seem to affect him at all in his match against Alex de Minaur.
The American went on to say that if the Serb keeps playing as he did against the Australian, he is expected to win the tournament.
"I’m not sure what to make of it. A couple of years ago, he had an injury and he won the tournament. Then the other night he looked fantastic against Alex De Minaur," McEnroe opined.
"He has a great team around him that are working 24 hours a day to get him ready and it seems like the hamstring, it’s hard to say if it’s affecting him at all. If he is playing at the level we saw against [De Minaur], I expect him to win the tournament," he added.