‘Nick Kyrgios Is One of Those Who Pointed Out’ – Novak Djokovic Says He Is in Full Support of Popularizing Tennis as a Sport

Eyeing his first major title of the season, Novak Djokovic is steadily heading towards the final rounds of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Recently, the former World N0.1 took some time off from the court to express his support for popularizing the sport he has been dominating for a decade.

Although tennis is one of the oldest sports in the world, it has constantly evolved with the changing times; from the initiation of the WTA to the latest ruling of allowing off-court coaching by the ATP. Now, it looks like top players like Djokovic are in favor of making moves that popularize the sport among the masses.

Novak Djokovic gives his views on the popularizing trend of the game

Prior to the start of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, the officials announced a major change to the century-long traditions of the tournament. Earlier, players were allowed to train only in the practice courts. However, this year, the players were given access to Centre Court for their training sessions.

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Following the change, a number of top players like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Iga Swiatek trained on the Centre Court. The change is being considered as the first step towards popularizing the biggest tennis stage in the world. With the first step taken, the Championships is expected to make further changes in the coming future.

Having a similar view, the Serbian opened up about his conversation with Goran Ivanisevic. “Here at Wimbledon, who could have guessed that they would allow players to train at the Central Stadium before the start of the tournament? I bet with Goran (coach) that in the future, they might allow a little paint on the equipment, and he says there is no chance,” he said.

Being one of the most prominent players on the tour, he further admitted, “I am open to changes that can contribute to popularization.”

Apart from Wimbledon, ATP also announced a major rule change. Weeks ago, the apex body of men’s tennis gave a green signal to off-court coaching from the second half of the season. Following the announcement, Djokovic came in support of the decision. However, he also showed acceptance of other players’ views.

“I understand the other side as well. Nick Kyrgios is one of those who pointed out that it kills the uniqueness of our sport, that as an individual you fight, find solutions. I understand that too. We know that this is already happening, so let it be the rule,” he asserted.

Djokovic at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Having an unusually inconsistent season so far, the Serbian is eyeing his maiden Grand Slam of the year. Looking to defend his title, the top seed kicked off his campaign with a first-round win over Kwon Soon-woo. He continued his dominant form on grass, as he next outplayed Aussie star Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round. 

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Looking in good shape, he further beat the 25th seeded fellow countryman Miomir Kecmanović in the third round. After yesterday’s fourth-round win over Tim van Rijthoven, he is now set to face 10th seeded Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals.