'Greatest player who's ever lived' Novak Djokovic treated unfairly admits Lindsay Davenport: "He's just had enough"
ATP
Former World No.1, Lindsay Davenport has backed Novak Djokovic as the best ever and said that he is treated unfairly after the issues that surrounded him during his infamous match against Holger Rune at Wimbledon.
Djokovic quipped that the crowd were booing instead of chanting Rune and he was also booed when mentioned in the Lorenzo Musetti post match in a pantomime villain type role. The Italian will now face Djokovic today in the semi-finals of Wimbledon and Davenport believes that Djokovic has simply had enough of being painted as the villain despite all he has achieved.
She said that he will go down statistically as the greatest player to have ever played and that she doesn't blame him for acting like he has given that he has rushed back to the sport after surgery and has given the fans his presence only to be smacked in the face.
“I think he’s just had enough, I think it’s not easy to always be the villain out there,” said Davenport on Tennis Channel's podcast.
“Obviously in the age of Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer], it just always seemed like the crowd was always against him. And not even against him, but like 90 to 95% for the other player.
“And I think he’s just tired of it. I think it’s not easy also when your kids are in the stands. I think also when you’re doing everything you can to still stay around in the sport, you do everything to help try and grow it.
“You’ve just had surgery, he’s out there, like really? He’s had it. Honestly, I don’t blame him and I think, you know, good for him. It’s just so odd because he does so much good as well off the court.
“And now it’s almost like, it seems like it’s cool to cheer against him or whatever, and it’s terrible. He’s done amazing things.
“He’s gonna go down statistically — whether people like it or not — as the greatest player who’s ever lived, male or female. It’s insane when you look at all of his numbers. I mean at 37 also, let’s give it up for him.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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