In the latest episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, the Australian coach and commentator showered praise on Novak Djokovic after having been a staunch critic for years. She admired his never-give-up attitude and believed he did not care about popularity and only wanted to win more.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have always been considered more popular and likeable than the Serb. However, Djokovic’s 24th Grand Slam has seen him win many of his doubters over. Stubbs is one such critic who has seemingly turned to praise him. She took his post-match interview at a US Open game, meeting a lot of backlash given the duo’s history. Her fresh, appreciative comments will raise eyebrows, especially amongst the ‘Nole Fam’ on social media.
Djokovic ‘unbelievable’ though not as popular as Federer and Nadal: Stubbs
Stubbs has regularly criticized Djokovic for a myriad of reasons over the years. However, in the latest episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast that dropped right after the Serb’s 2023 US Open title win, she was full of praise for him. She said his numbers are incredible, adding even though he divides opinion amongst fans, she admires his resilience.
Stubbs said Djokovic’s drive to win eclipsed that of Federer and Nadal. She claimed that while the duo had the passion to win, it was an obsession for Djokovic. She said the World No.1 knows he would never match his rivals in terms of popularity, so wants to pull clear of them in numbers. Stubbs added he does not care about the fan-following contests and wants to collect so much silverware that he becomes the undisputed greatest even if he is not as popular.
“I think Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal] definitely personified wanting to win a lot but it’s obsessive to Novak and you can see it. I think he wants to put the numbers up so much that ‘Yes they may be more popular than me but I’ll always be the greatest and I’ll always have the numbers over them’ and he doesn’t care and I admire him for that.”
Djokovic has never responded publicly to the harsh comments made by Stubbs in the past. She, however, faced a lot of brickbats from the tennis fraternity. She also attacked Serbians as a whole for politicising Grand Slams, getting called racist, xenophobic and much more as a result. Her past experiences, and that Djokovic is now an all-time leader for most Majors, may be why she has had a change of heart.
Has Novak Djokovic forgiven Rennae Stubbs?
Djokovic did not seem to hold any grudges towards Stubbs during their US Open interviews. He answered all questions gracefully, even as fans thought some of them were intended to make him uncomfortable. The Serb showed maturity despite her past comments at him and his countrymen.
During a post-match on-court interview, Stubbs told Djokovic that he seems to give his box a ‘hard time’. She asked him whether this was out of frustration, to which the eventual champion gave a cheeky but genuine reply. He said he and his team keep each other ‘sharp’.
The feud between Djokovic and Stubbs has seemingly cooled down. He has never spoken against her and she has now praised him on her podcast. The retired doubles specialist’s point stands true, though. Djokovic may never be as popular and loved among the general audience as Nadal and Federer. He understandably took a dig, saying the western world would have revered him as a great if he was not Serbian. Regardless, Djokovic knows that his numbers cement his legacy as one of the greatest.
