Novak Djokovic gets temperamental when crowd supports the other guy: Boris Becker

Novak Djokovic is extremely emotional and passionate, which gives him extra motivation to raise his level on the tennis court whenever the spectators are rooting for his opponent, believes Boris Becker.

Until about a few years ago, the Serb was rarely a fan favorite and almost always found the fans in attendance in his opponent's corner, especially when he played against his biggest rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

However, his fans believe that the crowd going against him gave him a reason to fight harder and prove them wrong.

Between 2013 and 2016, the 22-time Grand Slam champion played under the guidance of Becker, whose Apple TV+ documentary 'Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker' was recently released. The streaming platform shared a clip from the presentation on its social media handle, in which the German talks about Djokovic.

"Novak is very emotional. He always gets temperamental when the crowd supports the other guy. And he's using that to show with his fingers off into the crowd that you have woken me up now. I'm going to beat this guy," Becker said.

The current World No. 1 himself appeared in the documentary, giving his perspective on tennis.

"It's a battle. It's a fight. Unpredictable things happen. Somebody takes you out of your comfort zone, right?" Djokovic said.

The documentary gives tennis fans a peek into Becker's glorious career and personal life, including details of his conviction last year. The former World No. 1 served eight months of jail time in the United Kingdom for hiding assets and loans worth £2.5m in order to avoid paying his debts.

He was sent to jail in April 2022 and released in December before being deported from Great Britain.

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Novak Djokovic awaits Lorenzo Musetti or Luca Nardi in Monte-Carlo Masters 2023 R3

2023 Monte-Carlo Masters

After missing out on the Sunshine Double in the US due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19, Novak Djokovic returned to action at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters on Tuesday (April 11). Although he won his opener against qualifier Ivan Gakhov 7-6(5), 6-2, it took him a while to adjust to the clay.

In the third round, the Serb will take on the winner of the match between Lorenzo Musetti and Luca Nardi. In a press conference after defeating Gakhov, the 35-year-old remarked that clay was the most difficult surface for him to adapt to.

“Clay surface, for me, is the most challenging surface to adapt, to get into rhythm," he said. "Iit's just different than other surfaces. It takes slightly more [time]. Match play is what I need. Practice points is something that helps, but nothing helps as playing an official match. That's why I'm hoping I can have as many matches as possible this week."

Djokovic is looking to win his third title in Monte-Carlo after previously having won the tournament in 2013 and 2015.