"Instead of taking the high road, Novak Djokovic takes that disrespect and uses it as motivation" - Tennis analyst on how Serb uses crowd as fuel

Novak Djokovic getting caught up in crowd drama is common on the tour and tennis analyst Gill Gross believes that the Serb does this intentionally to motivate himself.

Djokovic found himself in a heated exchange with fans during his quarterfinal clash against Cameron Norrie at the Davis Cup. He was also booed by a partisan crowd at the Paris Masters during his quarterfinal face-off against Holger Rune. However, on both occasions, the Serb was able to cash in on the jeers and emerge victorious.

In a recent episode of the Monday Match Analysis, Gross opined that the World No. 1 could have steered clear of the crowd's taunts but instead took the "disrespect" to fuel himself and play better.

"He could take the high road, he could brush it off. I really think like, and we have seen him doing before. But, more often than not, especially recently, instead of taking the high road, he takes that disrespect from the crowd and he uses it to play better. He uses it as motivation," Gross said.

Gross highlighted Djokovic's win against Norrie to interpret how the Serb uses the crowd to help him win matches.

"I saw when he beat Norrie, how he went to the crowd and shushed them. He's doing these things not because he wants to stick it to some stranger in the audience. He's doing these things because he thinks it's going to help him play better tennis and win the tennis match," he added.

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Novak Djokovic used the "circumstances" from last year to fuel his title win at the 2023 US Open, says Gill Gross

The Serb in action at the 2023 Davis Cup

Gill Gross further lavished praise on Novak Djokovic for using the "circumstances" from the previous year as fuel for his title win at the 2023 US Open.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion pulled out of the New York Major last year due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. Due to his reluctance to get jabbed against the disease, the Serb was not allowed to enter the US as per COVID protocols.

Gross reckoned that the Serb reminded himself of the unfortunate turn of events to motivate himself and bring about his best performance this time around.

"Djokovic gave an interview recently, I think it was after the ATP Finals, and he said and I quote 'I guess last year's circumstances I used as fuel for this year.' That's what he said, which makes sense," Gross stated.

"By him saying that, that tells me that he's still thinking about it, still reminding himself of that fact, so that when he comes to New York to play the US Open, he comes in there with a chip on his shoulder. He doesn't let himself forget," he added.

Following his title triumph at the US Open, Novak Djokovic also clinched the Paris Masters and ATP Finals titles to finish what was a remarkable season for the Serb.