Behind the scenes story exposes Novak Djokovic for who he really is

Novak Djokovic is playing the most highly anticipated showdown of the year and details have emerged that shift his reputation.

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Like any good superhero movie, 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.

Possibly the greatest player to have ever played the game, it’s incredible that his character is often talked about more than his on-court ability. He is someone that is redefining age barriers in our sport, yet headlines focus more on his views on vaccinations. Instead of paying attention to his other worldly court coverage, we focus in on his player union movements.

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Over the years I’ve danced with the devil, (and he whooped me on several occasions!), but the more I danced the more I realised that our game’s most divisive player was perhaps not a villain, but a hero in disguise.

On a personal level I’ve always found Novak personable and approachable. He was someone that I respected greatly for just how good of a player he was. I said as much in the final of the Japan Open at the trophy presentation after being defeated by Novak, acknowledging that ironically, I felt at times his achievements are somewhat downplayed. Such are the perils of being the villain!

Novak Djokovic is breaking records for fun in 2023. Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP.

Controversy has surrounded Novak throughout his career. He burst onto the scene a confident and brash upstart; his family donned in ‘Nole’ shirts easily identified in the crowd. Taking sports science to a whole new level, he’s often had people guessing what is in those courtside concoctions secretly handled by his team.

Ill feelings towards him were heightened during Covid. His refusal to take the vaccine infuriated many but it came as no surprise when you see how his meticulousness with what goes into his body is unrivalled.

Being denied entry into Australia for the Open in 2022 only added fuel to the hate fire but we often forget that Novak would have had no intention to enter the country had he not been led to believe he had a valid exemption in the first place.

He’s an easy target to direct frustration towards but before we pull the trigger maybe I can shed light with a story about Novak and one of the many times he was there for the players.

In the midst of Covid, professional tennis players like the rest of the world, were doing it tough. Essentially being forced back on tour to maintain our world ranking, in the hopes of better times to come. We were playing in strict quarantine bubbles for an 80 per cent reduction of prizemoney. Financially we were losing money each week and up steps Novak.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic is a dream semi-final at Roland Garros. Photo by Thomas SAMSON and Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP.

At his own expense he funded a challenger and two ATP events at 100 per cent pre-pandemic prizemoney levels. There wasn’t anything in it for him but like he has done throughout his career he was there when people needed it.

Whether it was being one of the first players to donate to the bushfire appeal when Australia was burning, fronting a PTPA (Players Association) to better represent players, being a UNICEF national ambassador or donating over a million euros for medical equipment during the Covid pandemic he has often taken the criticism from the media whilst helping those in need behind the scenes.

Novak will always divide opinion. He certainly has strong beliefs and unwavering principles that might not be agreeable. For some he will always be someone we hope not to succeed. I believe in time though more people will come to realise what his colleagues already know, Novak is a hero dressed as a villain. And that was exactly what our sport needed.

Djokovic faces world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open semi-finals on Friday night (AEST) — one of the most highly anticipated showdowns this year.

John Millman is an Aussie tennis veteran, with one ATP Tour title to his name and a victory over Roger Federer in the fourth round of the 2018 US Open.

You can follow him on Twitter here.