The vast majority of tennis players on the ATP tour were in favor of Novak Djokovic due to the treatment he received from the Australian government just a year ago when he decided not to get vaccinated against Covid-19. One of those who always showed his support for the winner of 21 Grand Slams was the Croatian Marin Cilic, who reiterated his admiration for the way the Serbian recovered from a season where they turned their backs on him time and time again.
“Hats off to Novak, because he endured a huge emotional hardship in January of last year. Whatever happened was not fair to him, definitely not. As a sportsman, having to remember and go through all that is absolutely disastrous, it’s really complicated.
However, he has once again shown that he has the impressive ability to stay focused, to stay mentally focused,” said the 2014 US Open champion. “He was able to win a Grand Slam after everything that happened, so my congratulations.
He managed to play at a high level and finished the season in a fantastic way. After the US Open, we met in Tel Aviv, but also in Kazakhstan and Bercy he played at an incredible level. I wish him all the best for this new season”, added the experienced 34-year-old player.
It should be noted that throughout the long journey that both have had on the tour, they have met a total of 21 times where ‘Nole ‘ He took 19 wins and only two losses, another one that he has suffered on multiple occasions with the Serbian on the track.
What is the main confrontation you remember between Novak Djokovic and Maric Cilic?
Djokovic on his relationship with Kyrgios
Novak Djokovic has confirmed that he is in talks with Nick Kyrgios about playing a practice match.
“Well, we are talking with the Australian Open about doing something in a week prior to the start of the tournament. Yes, I chatted with Nick, and I would like to play with him, and he accepted, but he wants shorter sets.
Let’s see if that works out,” he revealed. “I wasn’t his favorite guy – let’s take it that way – for many years. But he was one of the very few that stood by me last year, and I respect that and appreciate that.
In those moments you can actually see who truly supports you and who is by your side and who goes with, I guess, the flow of the society and the pressures that media puts on you,” he said. “He was giving me undivided support in the moments where I was being challenged a lot, and him as an Australian, I respected that a lot. Since then, our relationship has changed for better,” he added.
