"We may not like it. I understand. But we must not assassinate him": Mansour Bahrami urges fans to show respect for GOAT Novak Djokovic

Renowned tennis entertainer Mansour Bahrami has urged the fans to show some affection to the current world number one Novak Djokovic.

The 36-year-old is often regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s singles tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles. Bahrami was recently quoted in a report where he urged the fans to show more respect towards Serbia’s legendary tennis star.

“He is unloved, and he suffers from that,” he said. “But you have to have respect for this boy. He is the greatest player in history. We may not like it. I understand. But we must not assassinate him. If you don’t like it, don’t applaud it, but don’t whistle at it.

“He wins and we whistle him. What did he do wrong? Nothing! He suffered from this for a long time. Now I think he manages to take a step back from this situation. He’s a great pro. We must not forget that he fell into the same era as [Rafael] Nadal and [Roger] Federer, two very popular players.

“He did everything to be loved. Sometimes too much for me. He’d better play his matches, win them and go home. People think it’s fake. This is not true. He loves the public and he wants the public to love him.”

Djokovic won his 24th major title earlier this year as he defeated the current world number three Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

The current world number one ended his year as the top-ranked player as he ended up lifting the last major tournament in the calendar year — the ATP Finals. Djokovic Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the final in Turin in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-3.