Novak Djokovic was recently fined a whopping $8,000 for smashing his racket furiously at the pole of the net after losing a vital point to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. The World No.2 has faced a lot of flak online for his outburst, with many claiming that his poor temperament is the reason why he can never be the ‘GOAT’ of tennis no matter how many titles or Grand Slams he wins. But many have since pointed out how Roger Federer too has broken a few rackets out of frustration.
Fans of the Serbian superstar have not taken such mocking very lightly on social media and have managed to somehow dig up a compilation of old clips featuring the Swiss maestro, Roger Federer himself, being guilty of getting furious and flinging his racket away recklessly especially when he loses points.
Are Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic similar in temperament?
There is a story that goes about Roger Federer being extremely temperamental as a young prodigy, literally breaking rackets in every match that he played either out of fun or in disgust. The situation apparently got so bad that his father gave him an ultimatum that if he messed up like that again, he would never get to play tennis in the future.
The so-called warning did appear to work to an extent, but not as much as it is widely considered. Even as Federer grew with age and into the iconic player that he ended up being, there have been many instances in which the 20-time Grand Slam champion has not exactly behaved like a professional tennis player. And it is not just about breaking rackets but even arguing with chair umpires stubbornly and throwing other things around for no apparent reason, have made it to a stinging video.
So, the answer to the above question seems to be a close yes. While there is a section of fans defending either Federer or Djokovic’s tempers as aggression on court which is common amongst sportspersons, there are others who are not as sympathetic.
People criticising Djokovic smashing his racket, saying it sets a bad example to kids, then bringing in Roger Federer never having smashed a racket
…except Federer smashed a racket against Djokovic at the Miami Masters in ‘09 (much lower stakes than a Wimbledon final) 😂🤷🏿♂️ pic.twitter.com/d9lI79Ee01
— Jeffrey Boadi (@jeffreyboadi_) July 17, 2023
Here are some fan reactions on the same –
— Yoshida.eth 🐊 (@trotssler) July 18, 2023
Federer used to be one angry dude when he was young
— Mischief Managed ⚡️ (@user_1_1) July 18, 2023
djokovic is a class act and competitor. Sometimes he shows some emotion. Its human and relatable. This is nbd
— RainbowS (@tiptonix) July 17, 2023
I had a colleague talk about how Federer would break his racket or be rude. She was very surprised when I sent a video compilation of how he has behaved in the past 😂
— Neel Patel (@neelfx) July 17, 2023
(1)Any avid fan of tennis, of a certain age, understands the moment of tension. Nole’ getting upset yesterday was, imo, fair. No issues with it at all. Most of Federer’s smashes were early on. But this one was following ‘08 W & ‘09 AO finals & the same type of shot ending ‘08 W.
— Michael Odil (@TheRealOdil) July 17, 2023
Love Roger, but in most people’s eyes he’s Holy Roger 🙏 He can get away with anything, but if Novak breathes it’s ARROGANT 🙄🙄🙄
— Ester 🧜♀️ (@ester95x) July 17, 2023
Djokovic mentions Federer in runners-up speech
Novak Djokovic interestingly mentioned in the post-match Wimbledon press conference about Carlos Alcaraz indeed being a perfect combination of himself, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. While the comment was the highest praise for Alcaraz, Djokovic courted controversy again by adding that Federer had his own set of strengths and weaknesses but Alcaraz is a ‘complete player and he has never seen anyone like him’. It has been widely perceived as a dig at Federer.
To top it all, Roger Federer is not of the opinion that Alcaraz is a combination of the ‘Big Three’, although he did believe that he would win the Wimbledon 2023 title. Co-incidentally with the result, Alcaraz denied Djokovic an opportunity to level with Federer when it comes to winning the Championships 8 times.
