"The Crowd Appreciate Novak Djokovic More Than Before Because He's Authentic, Natural, Himself": Former World No. 2 Believes Australian Open 2022 Fiasco Has Changed Serbian

Former World No.2 Alex Corretja has claimed that Novak Djokovic has become a different person after his 2022 Australian Open saga. Speaking to Eurosport, the retired player suggested that the Serb went on a journey of self-discovery and has emerged emotionally stronger. Hence, Corretja thinks Djokovic has become more ‘authentic’ about his personality, endearing him to more fans than before.

Djokovic was unceremoniously deported from Down Under before the 2022 Australian Open. He had initially received permission to participate, despite being unvaccinated, on certain medical exemptions. However, his visa was cancelled and the World No.1 had to return home without playing. He bounced back by winning four of the six Majors he has played since then.

With a record 24 Grand Slams, he has found widespread acceptance as the GOAT of tennis. Despite often being regarded as the least likeable among the Big 3, he has found immense respect and appreciation in the past couple of years.

In an interview with Eurosport, Corretja expressed his belief that the fiasco made Novak Djokovic introspect and think about himself. He said this gave the World No.1 a better idea of how to deal with issues and what people think about him.

“I think what happened to him in Australia led him to a long introspection. He dove within himself and understood who he was. And he just got deep inside his soul, his body, his mind. And from then on, he’s understood and dealt with everything better. He knows the people from outside better, what they think about him. Even the fellow tennis players, which ones were a little more on his side, which ones were not.”

The introspection brought out the best in Djokovic as he was more in control of his emotions, Corretja claimed. The Spaniard said viewers and fellow players appreciate him more as a result of him being his true self and not covering up his personality.

“So I think it’s like it woke up a beast inside him that he had, and he’s now controlling all his emotions much better than before. And I see now that even players or the crowd appreciate him even more than before because he’s authentic, he’s natural, he’s himself, and he’s not trying to go with a mass, saying things to make everyone happy.”

Corretja added that Djokovic now sticks to his principles and pursues what he wants to, regardless of what people may think. The two-time French Open runner-up claimed the Serb no longer ‘cares’ about crowds going against him. Instead, he draws energy from it, a sign of maturity.

Corretja remarked that the rare occasions that Djokovic does have an outburst on the court is not because he is losing his calm. Rather, he uses it as a reset to get back on the path to winning the match.

Corretja predicts the toughest opponent for Novak Djokovic in the ATP Finals

In addition to discussing Djokovic’s metamorphosis since the 2022 Australian Open, Corretja shared his opinion on the impending ATP Finals. He is pitted against Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune in the Green group in Turin. Corretja, rather surprisingly, picked Rune as the most difficult match-up for Djokovic in the round-robin stage.

The duo recently clashed in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters. Rune made Djokovic work hard across three sets for the win. The former’s form has considerably improved after hiring Djokovic’s former coach, Boris Becker. Rune’s head-to-head against the Serb is 2-2.

Corretja said the Dane will draw confidence from having beaten ‘Nole’ twice this year, making it a difficult match-up for the defending ATP Finals champion. He, however, thrives in high-stakes clashes and will be prepared for the challenge, as per the retired player.

Novak Djokovic is pushing for a record seventh title at the year-end championships and Rune, who he picked to be a future Grand Slam winner, will be one of his biggest tests in the round-robin stage.

Post Edited By: Samir Satam

ATP Finals 2023 Holger Rune Novak Djokovic

About the author

Puranjay Dixit

Puranjay is a Tennis Journalist at The SportsRush. He has written more than 300 articles on the sport. Ask him anything about tennis and he is ready to come up with well-crafted answers. He has been following tennis ever since his parents introduced him to the game when he was 10. His favourite player may be Rafael Nadal, but ask him who's the GOAT, and he'll say, Novak Djokovic. He may be pursuing a degree in an unrelated field, but creating quality sports content remains his first love.

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