“You cannot be serious!” every tennis fan recognizes the voice behind this statement. After all, John McEnroe’s “bad boy” reputation in tennis is not new. Nevertheless, according to him, the tag that he held did not die after his reign in tennis ended in 1992, but Novak Djokovic now embraces it. But there is a twist! He mentioned how the 37-year-old has carried the same tag but more to his advantage, unlike McEnroe himself!

Appearing in a recent interview, the legendary 65-year-old former American player discussed his opinion on former World No. 1’s tenure in tennis. Referring to him as the “villain, the bad guy,” McEnroe’s bizarre confession had a dash of respect for the 24 Grand Slam champion for his ability to turn a bad reputation to his own advantage. Revealing his thoughts, the seven-time Grand Slam champion declared, “He’s been able to do something that I wasn’t able to do nearly as well which is turning lemons into lemonade.”

McEnroe further added, “When people want to see the underdog or someone else winning, he somehow uses that as fuel to help him. That’s an incredible quality which you can’t underestimate.” For McEnroe, it all started in 1981. The former Wimbledon champion, enraged at the umpire Edward James during his match against his long-term rival, Bjorn Borg embroiled himself in a controversy that never erased from the history of tennis.

Known for his confrontational behavior, his verbal attack at the umpire after his serve was called out ultimately led him to be absent from the court (as he was not invited by the tournament) for several years. 

Although, eventually, the anger of fans subsided, his “superbrat” reputation remained. However, when it comes to Novak Djokovic the scene is a bit different. Often referred to as the “villain” in tennis as he stepped into tennis at a time when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dominated the sport, Djokovic has surpassed the Big Two when it comes to the number of Grand Slams (Federerer-20, Nadal-22) and titles earned.

According to many fans, the Serbian who spent 428 weeks at the top (more than Federer at 310 and Nadal at 209) is the G.O.A.T. of tennis. However, to others, he only loves “attention.” 

Be it for chasing Federer and Nadal’s records in tennis or audience “booing” him during his matches (in Australian Open matches), receiving criticism is not uncommon to him. Nevertheless, Djokovic has utilized every tag earned to fuel him more and play better tennis. With Federer retired and Nadal on the verge of it, Djokovic is still going forward in the game, vying for his 25th Grand Slam at Wimbledon. 

“I guess you need a good guy and a bad guy in a way. It can help the sport when you have rivalries like that. I think it’s been unfair, honestly, because he is great for the game, on and off the court,” McEnroe concluded his statement. However, earlier, a similar statement from another tennis player garnered attention in the tennis world.

John Milman backs Novak Djokovic and calls him a “hero”

The Australian tennis pro John Milman’s perspective on Novak Djokovic’s reign in tennis. Before last year’s semifinal match at the French Open began, the tennis pro said, “Like any good superhero movie, the sport needs its heroes and villains. Tennis is no exception. For the last fifteen years Roger and Rafa, our cape donning warriors, have delighted adoring crowds. But for this story to work we needed an anti-hero of equal brilliance. Enter Novak Djokovic.”

Further adding, he made his preference clear as he titled Djokovic as the “greatest player” to have ever played tennis. He also pointed out that even after contributing so much to the game, people more often talk about his “character” rather than his “on-court ability.” Speaking his mind, he also added, “Novak is a hero dressed as a villain. And that was exactly what our sport needed.”

As the tennis world continues to witness another one of his amazing performances in the upcoming Wimbledon, hopefully, it further blurs the “villain” tag even more!