Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have been locked in several intense battles. Despite their fights, the two have the utmost respect for each other off the court. In an interview, Murray delved deeper into it but also spoke about how players are impacted by the crowd. Referring to Djokovic’s case, Murray talked about how the relationship between Djokovic and his fans throughout the years.

In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Murray was asked about Djokovic’s continuous wish to be liked. However, the Briton spoke in defense of the Serb and said how the latter went through challenging times when dealing with the crowd.

“Yeah, look I think it’s obviously at times difficult for him because you know Nadal and Federer before Novak became you know the best player in the world and you know in terms of ties I know him as the best you know the best male player, you know he has won the most Grand Slams and had an unbelievable career. Rafa and Roger had you know were so loved and had a brilliant rivalry.“

Murray further recalled, “Novak has huge support around the world.” However, at times, he has suffered the wrath of the crowd. “I think at times it has been difficult for him to not maybe feel the same support from the crowd that Rafa and Roger got. But you know he still does have massive support in the world that he thinks extremely well respected you know not just in tennis but world sport because of all of that, all of his achievements and I think at times he’s thrived on that as well.”

Djokovic had an outburst after he won against Holger Rune in the recent Wimbledon. The crowd was not pleased and jeered at the player. Despite emerging victorious, the Serb upset, hit back at the crowd. Later, in an interview BBC, said, “I said in the post-match interview, I think most of the people in the stadium were respectful and I thank them and know that after watching tennis all day it’s not easy. I was thankful, I don’t take it for granted, they are a big part of why I still play, the crowds who appreciate what we do and the effort we put in.”

Djokovic’s statement after his Wimbledon clash was a glimpse of how his interactions have been with the crowd. Unlike Federer, who always had a cordial relationship with his viewers, Djokovic often goes through this love-hate relationship where he doesn’t step back from speaking his mind. Murray’s defense of Djokovic is not an alien fact to tennis fans. The Serb not only hailed Murray as a legend but left a heart-melting wish for the Briton’s last match before retirement.

Novak Djokovic wished the “best possible farewell” to Andy Murray

Andy Murray is prepping up for his final Olympics in Paris. When Djokovic heard the news, he had a heartwarming wish for the British star. “I heard the news about Andy and I hope that he will have the best possible farewell in his last competitive match in the Olympics, for him and his country, He is a legend of our sport and has been an incredibly important player for tennis globally.”

After Djokovic’s statement, it wasn’t hard for fans to understand the Serb’s admiration for Murray. More than that, people were overwhelmed to see Murray returning the same affection to Djokovic by explaining his difficult times as a tennis player despite being the former world number one.

Murray and Djokovic’s friendly encounter restores faith in friendship. They lead the path showing the magic of tennis that brings people closer irrespective of rivalry.