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Tennis fans have reacted strongly to a resurfaced clip of Novak Djokovic being questioned on his perceived role as the "bad guy" chasing after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Following his win over Marton Fucsovics in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, Djokovic was asked the question during his post-match press conference.
"What has it been like to be something of the 'bad guy' chasing after Roger and Rafa all these years?" the journalist asked.
The Serb brushed off the "bad guy" label and emphasized that he is not chasing anyone and is instead focused on creating his own path and history.
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"I don't consider myself a bad guy. I mean, that's your opinion. I'm not chasing anybody. I'm making my own path and my own journey, my own history. I'm privileged to be part of history of this sport that I love," he said.
"As I said on the court, I know about a lot of stats. I don't know about all of them. But they do motivate me even more to play my best tennis at the events that count the most in our sport," he added.
A fan shared a clip of the incident on social media and deemed it the "worst question" posed to Djokovic in a Grand Slam press conference.
"This has got to be the worst question asked to Djokovic in a Grand Slam press conference. Btw the person asking the question (William Weinbaum, ESPN) got a cool, calm and collected response from Novak - classy as always," the fan tweeted.
Several fans lauded the World No. 1 for his calm and polite responses to the "rudest" and "most ridiculous" questions and accusations.
"Novak always takes the high road and gives a polite answer to the rudest questions. He always goes high when they go low. Yet, it is people like Weinbaum who pretend to teach us about class and manners. The lack of self awareness boggles the mind," a fan commented.
"Calm, coherent, polite even when facing the most ridiculous questions and accusations," another fan chimed in.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
How Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fared at Wimbledon 2021
Rafael Nadal pulled out of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships in order to "recuperate after a long clay-court season." The Spaniard also announced his decision to forgo competing in the Tokyo Olympics.
An eight-time champion at the grasscourt Major, Roger Federer made his last appearance at SW19 in 2021. Federer defeated Adrian Mannarino, Richard Gasquet, Cameron Norrie and Lorenzo Sonego to advance to the quarterfinals. The Swiss was unable to progress further at the Major, losing to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets.
Meanwhile, two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic defeated Matteo Berrettini in the final to secure his sixth Wimbledon title. He also recorded his 20th Major title, drawing level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
With his historic triumph at the 2023 French Open, the Serb has surpassed Federer's (20) and Nadal's (22) Grand Slam tally.
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