Journalist Ben Rothenberg has defended Novak Djokovic following comments he made about his fellow competitors at Wimbledon.

Current world No. 2 Novak Djokovic has been criticised for his definitive comments about the chances of his opponents at the SW19.

The quadruple-time defending champion reached the semi-final of this year's grasscourt major after he defeated world No. 7 Andrey Rublev in his quarterfinal match 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. This not only means that he is through to a record-equalling 46th Grand Slam semi-final, but also that the seven-time Wimbledon winner is one step closer to achieving Roger Federer's record eight victories at the tournament.

Speaking during his on-court interview after the match, the 36-year-old showed confidence in his ability when he jokingly referenced his younger opponents, saying

"I know that they want to get a scalp, they want to win. But it ain't happening, still."

Despite being said in a playful manner, some fans criticised his comments, with one Twitter user looking back at Djokovic's time as part of the Big Three with Federer and Rafael Nadal, saying

"He wasn’t saying this when Nadal and fed were healthy lol."

However, sportswriter Ben Rothenberg defended the Serb's comments, tweeting

"Own that you know you’re better than everybody when you clearly are. Dishonest not to"

In response to the twitter user who pointed out that Djokovic did not brag in this way when Federer and Nadal were still in contention, Rothenberg added

"He understands the field is weak now, and he’s saying it out loud. Again, honest. It ain’t bragging if it’s true."

Djokovic will face eighth seed Jannik Sinner in the semi-final of Wimbledon on Friday, July 14.