LONDON — Novak Djokovic is just one example of a superstar athlete who manages to find motivation wherever possible.
Others who come to mind include a trio of retired legends from the United States: Tom Brady, who won seven Super Bowl rings as an NFL quarterback; Michael Jordan, a six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls; and Serena Williams, who — like Djokovic — made winning major tournament titles a habit during her lengthy tennis career.
When it comes to Djokovic, that extra drive often derives from — or at least his perception that there are — crowds who are against him. In his fourth-round match at Wimbledon on Monday night, the 37-year-old from Serbia was certain that people in the stands were drawing out the pronunciation of his opponent’s last name to sound like they were booing … and Djokovic, to use a meme-generating phrase associated with Jordan, took that personally.
He objected to the “disrespect” he thought was being directed his way at Centre Court while moving a step closer to an eighth title at the All England Club and his 25th Grand Slam singles championship overall, which would be more than any player — man or woman — in tennis history. He’s currently tied with Margaret Court for that record.
“I played in much more hostile environments, trust me. You guys can’t touch me,” the second-seeded Djokovic told the rowdiest folks there after beating No. 15 Holger Rune of Denmark 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.