Tim Henman
commented on
Novak Djokovic's "confrontational" character just days
before the start of the US Open.
The Serbian
player has had several disagreements with the crowd throughout his career.
Despite holding the record for the most Grand Slam titles in men's tennis with
23, Djokovic has encountered conflicts during his matches.
The most
recent incident occurred at Wimbledon, where he faced boos from the crowd
during the final against Carlos Alcaraz. Similar situations also arose in his
semifinal match against Jannik Sinner.
Former
British tennis player Tim Henman mentioned that Djokovic generates
controversies not only through his tennis achievements.
“He's
always been a character that has slightly divided opinion and that's not always
just because of his tennis and [could be down to] some of the decisions he has
made off the court,” Henman said.
“But having
watched him a lot, he's almost a confrontational character.”
“So if he
had 80 per cent of the crowd's support I still think he is the type of person
who would focus on the [other] 20 per cent and use it to motivate him, to fire
himself up. I find it fascinating that he does sometimes focus on what seems
like individuals in the crowd that maybe are against him.
“But
whatever way he approaches it, you can't deny it doesn't work for him because
his results have just been incredible.”
Starting
from Monday, Djokovic will compete in the US Open as the second seed, following
Alcaraz, the reigning champion of the tournament:
“For me
I've talked about the rivalry of Alcaraz and Djokovic,” added the former
British No 1.
“Djokovic
is, in my opinion, still the man to beat. We shouldn't forget that he won the
Australian Open, French Open, was in the final of Wimbledon in a fifth set. He
hasn't had a bad year. And given his experience of him in Slams and his ability
of him on hard courts, I definitely think he's the player to beat.”