"I am so here for a villain era": Novak Djokovic role in tackling haters and proving critics wrong lauded by Andrea Petkovic
ATP
Although thousands of people are quick to criticize Novak Djokovic for his occasional outbursts on court, former WTA star Andrea Petkovic is pleased the Serbian is embracing his "villainous" role.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has dealt with hostile crowds during his career, with the most recent instances occurring this year at Wimbledon, the US Open, the Paris Masters, the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals. The Serbian's actions have ranged from yelling in frustration to mocking the crowd, like he did against Jannik Sinner during their Wimbledon semifinal clash.
Petkovic believes Djokovic has become more willing to embrace the villain role
In a recent episode of The Rennae Stubbs Podcast, Petkovic spoke on why she approved of Djokovic embracing the villain role, and why she believes it took him so long to accept the persona.
“I have to say, I am so here for a villain era. Novak Djokovic, that’s all I ever wanted. That’s all I ever wanted of him,” said the retired German WTA star. “I always wanted him to take this role and be ‘f you’ to everyone. ‘I’m so much better than everyone and I’m going to own it. I’m going to yell at the audience. I’m going to blow kisses and people who try to disturb me, and I’m going to win it all.’
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“That’s all I ever wanted from him. So I’m so happy he’s leaning into that villain era. I have said that forever. I think he didn’t want to embrace it because he thinks of himself as a better person, because he is. I’ve known him for such a long time, he’s a great person.
“But I always said, the quality of your human being is not the same as your tennis player persona. You can be the biggest a**hole as a tennis player – that’s nothing to do with who you are off the court. And I think he wants to believe in himself as being a good person, so that wouldn’t go together.
“And I think now he’s come to realize that, ‘my tennis player persona is my tennis player persona, and Novak is Novak – this has nothing to do with each other.’ So I think he’s much more able to embrace that, ‘I’m going to show you. I don’t care if everyone is against me."
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Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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