“I’ve Developed a Thick Skin”- Novak Djokovic on Facing Chronic Criticism From Tennis Tour

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic emerged as the winner of the Australian Open 2021. This is his 9th Australian Open title, and it has taken his Grand Slam tally to 18 now. Facing Daniil Medvedev in the finals, Djokovic completely dominated the match and thrashed his opponent in straight sets. The final scoreline of the match was 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

At the time, there were speculations about whether Novak Djokovic would be able to continue playing at the Grand Slam or not. He suffered a muscle tear injury in his third match against Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open 2021 and barely survived that match.

Although Djokovic claimed that he was under immense pain, many fans and experts raised questions over his injury. While many said that he faked the injury, others mentioned that his injury was not that serious. Recently, Djokovic revealed that he was quite hurt after he received a lot of backlash over his injury.

“Yeah, of course, it hurts. I’m a human being like yourself, like anybody else. I have emotions. I don’t enjoy when somebody attacks me in the media openly and stuff,” said Djokovic.

Read More: “Unfair”: Novak Djokovic Reacts to the Backlash About His ‘Fake’ Injury at Australian Open 2021

“Cannot say I don’t care about it” – Novak Djokovic

The 18-time Grand Slam winner also mentioned that it was not like he didn’t care about the statements at all and said that they affected him personally. “Of course, I cannot say I don’t care about it or whatever. Of course, it does. I have to be honest,” added the World No.1 player.

Djokovic highlighted that he had developed a thick skin over time to deal with all the criticism. “But I think I’ve developed a thick skin over the years to just dodge those things and focus on what matters to me the most,” concluded Djoker.

All these statements surely had an adverse effect on Djokovic. However, he was able to come over them and answered his critics by defending his title successfully at the Australian Open 2021. He has got off to a great start, and his fans will have even bigger expectations from him. Will Djokovic be able to equal Roger Federer’s and Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam tally in 2021?

Also Read: ‘Not Old, Not Tired’: Novak Djokovic Reveals Major Goals of His Career