"Like any good superhero movie, sport needs its heroes and villains": Millman lauds Djokovic for embracing tennis role

Seasoned veteran John Millman wrote a column for Australian media talking about Djokovic and the lack of respect with the villain tag on top of all of that.

Veteran player John Millman knows Djokovic well as he played him a couple of times including in a final before. The Australian wrote a column talking about how Djokovic became the villain of tennis even though he never wanted to become that.

"Like any good superhero movie, sport needs its heroes and villains. Tennis is no exception. For the last fifteen years Roger and Rafa, our cape-donning warriors, have delighted adoring crowds. But for this story to work we needed an anti-hero of equal brilliance. Enter Novak Djokovic. Possibly the greatest player to have ever played the game, it’s incredible that his character is often talked about more than his on-court ability. He is someone that is redefining age barriers in our sport, yet headlines focus more on his views on vaccinations."

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Dividing opinions

Millman reflected on Djokovic's more controversial side which was always the off-court side. On the court he's pretty much a model pro but off the court, Djokovic did some things that most people didn't like:

"Novak will always divide opinion. He certainly has strong beliefs and unwavering principles that might not be agreeable. For some he will always be someone we hope not to succeed. I believe in time though more people will come to realise what his colleagues already know, Novak is a hero dressed as a villain. And that was exactly what our sport needed."

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He also added his personal thoughts on Djokovic:

"On a personal level I’ve always found Novak personable and approachable. He was someone that I respected greatly for just how good of a player he was. I said as much in the final of the Japan Open at the trophy presentation after being defeated by Novak, acknowledging that ironically, I felt at times his achievements are somewhat downplayed. Such are the perils of being the villain!"