Novak Djokovic recently came out in support of Serena Williams after her early upset at the Wimbledon Championships. Praising her performance, he shared his admiration for the American’s return to the sport.
Williams, who made her comeback after nearly four years away from tennis, played her first singles match back at the All England Club on June 30. She faced Maya Joint in the opening round but was knocked out after the Australian claimed a 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-3 victory.
This defeat sparked criticism from some tennis fans online, with many questioning her performance on the court. Some also criticized the American for skipping the post-match press conference, reportedly calling the decision poor sportsmanship. Addressing the reaction during his post-match press conference, Djokovic backed Williams, praising her decision to return to competition at 44 after becoming a mother of two. He also pointed out that she had been away from the sport for several years and was not expected to be at her peak level. He said:
“She hasn’t played for years. She had two children. I mean, people are used to when we talk about Serena, I mean, also in my case, some great champions, people always expect you to play at your best because they’re used to seeing you dominate the sport for many years. She’s 44. I mean, she has two children. Coming back, it’s normal that she still is not at her best in terms of movement. She hasn’t played a match, I mean, in so many years. People need to cool off a little bit with judgment and criticism and everything. Let’s just enjoy the greatness, who she is, what she represents to the sport,” said Novak Djokovic.
He added:
“Her wanting to give it a try and just come back is an incredible gift for our sport. I think people sometimes, I don’t know why they don’t appreciate that enough. They just start to speculate, judge or whatever. It’s like, Hey, guys, enjoy. You have the greatest ever to come play for you, to bring more attention to your sport. For me, I don’t understand this kind of thinking and this kind of approach by people and judgment. But people are people. This is something they’re going to do. I really support Serena. Always have. Hopefully she’s going to play more.”
This interview took place after the Serb’s second-round clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas, where he cruised to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over the Greek to book his place in the next round.
Novak Djokovic opened up about his second-round victory at the Wimbledon Championships
After defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round, Novak Djokovic spoke to the media in his on-court interview. Asked about his dominant performance, the Serb said he was ‘satisfied’ with the way he played. Reflecting on the match, he also opened up about his wish to play an outdoor match at Wimbledon, saying:
“I like the terminology vintage, you know. It’s nice. Brings back the best best days and obviously you feel very happy and satisfied and joyful on the court when you’re playing this way once you get the momentum going obviously two sets to love up, break up,” said Novak Djokovic.
“That game when I went 5-2 up was one of the best return games I played in a while. I mean he missed a quite a few first serves in the third it gave me looks on the second serve. So I mean overall nice to be playing another indoor Wimbledon match I guess, I’m looking forward to an outdoor hopefully next round.”
Read More News:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
