‘This is Going to Hit Him Hard’: Tennis Legend John McEnroe Praises Novak Djokovic’s Mental Toughness

After weeks of controversy around Novak Djokovic, the Australian Open is finally underway. However, its 9-time champion is not going to defend his title this year at the Grand Slam.

Australian authorities deported Novak Djokovic from the country a day before the Grand Slam began. Thus, the Serbian has had to extend his wait for his 21st major title.

Moreover, the public sentiment against Novak has changed over the past few weeks drastically. Many now consider him privileged for assuming the rules of vaccination wouldn’t apply to him. On that note, tennis legend John McEnroe expressed his sorrow over the changing sentiment around Novak Djokovic.

McEnroe knows Novak Djokovic wants the public’s love

In a recent interview, 7-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe talked about how Novak Djokovic wants the public’s love. In fact, he referred to his loss at the US Open last year, where he narrowly missed out on the calendar Grand Slam.

“He just said the biggest thing, he appreciated the crowd there,” McEnroe reminded. Surely, public sentiment around the Serb had changed for the better after his tragic defeat in the US Open final, where he even broke down under the pressure of history on his shoulders.

“This is really unfortunate,” McEnroe said about Djokovic’s deportation, stating how hard Djokovic worked to gain the public’s favor. Of course, McEnroe acknowledges how he himself “knows about these things”. “Deep down we wanna be loved,” the 62-year-old said.

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Then, McEnroe stated how he anticipated this to affect Novak emotionally, as well, and not just his record. “There’s no question that this is going to hit him hard,” McEnroe claimed.

McEnroe added that Novak is mentally strong

McEnroe also talked about Novak Djokovic’s mental strength, calling him “as tough as they come on a tennis court, mentally.” Moreover, he even referred to Novak’s slump from a while ago, when “he had won four in a row and then next thing you know, for a year and a half, he couldn’t beat anyone.”

However, John McEnroe did acknowledge that things are complicated now, with Djokovic’s stance on vaccination amidst a global pandemic. “He had made it somewhat more difficult for himself,” McEnroe said, talking about the Serbian avoiding the vaccine.

Moreover, even McEnroe has his doubts and confusions about the whole case, wherein Novak himself admitted to meeting a journalist a day after finding out that he was positive for the virus. “I’m still trying to figure out why he would meet with that journalist,” McEnroe expressed.

Nevertheless, his absence from Grand Slams is going to affect not only his record but the tennis community at large as well. Do you miss seeing the World No. 1 player in action in the Happy Slam?