Novak Djokovic’s treatment during the Australian Open was ‘out of order’, according to Sky Sports Tennis lead presenter Gigi Salmon.
Djokovic’s tempestuous relationship with tennis fans around the world has been a theme throughout his career, as he has struggled to get the acclaim he might expect after a record-breaking career.
With 24 Grand Slam titles to his credit, more weeks as world No 1 than any player in history and a host of additional records that will cement his legacy as the most successful male tennis player of all-time, the 37-year-old would have the right to demand some acclaim from tennis fans.
Yet Djokovic was booed and jeered off court after he was forced to pull out of his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev due to a hamstring injury.
That reaction from the fans sparked a big debate over Djokovic’s popularity battle, while a spat with Australian broadcaster Tony Jones also marred his time in Melbourne.
Jones mocked Djokovic and Serbian fans live on Channel 9 television, with the 10-time Australian Open champion refusing to do an on-court interview until the veteran presenter apologised for his jibes.
Now Salmon has given her verdict on the Djokovic controversies, as she insisted the tennis icon should be treated better.
“It’s disrespectful, it’s awful,” said Salmon, as she reflected on the constant negativity directed at Djokovic.
“He’s one of the greatest of all-time and in some people’s opinion the greatest, and they are booing him.
“He has given everything and more to this sport and yet there is still this feeling of negativity towards him.
“We put it (being booed off against Zverev) down to ticket holders spending a lot of money and being disappointed that the match ended early, but that was not an excuse.
“You could see he gave everything. Maybe someone who was sitting a long way back couldn’t see what we could see, but our commentary box for that match was at ground level and we could see his movement was being affected.
“When he was pushed out wide, we could see he was struggling. As he turned around, we could see his face and he was grimacing in pain. We knew he wasn’t right.
“It was a surprise the way it ended. A volley into the net and suddenly the match was over, but when you look back at the story behind the injury and how he didn’t train in the days before, you can understand it better.
“Then you look at the Channel 9 comments from Tony Jones they were out of order. I know people have different senses of humour in different countries, but as soon as I saw that I thought it was out of order and disrespectful.
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“As we know, Novak Djokovic will stand up for himself and he did that. The apology came and we all moved on.”
Salmon believes Djokovic has grown tired of his role as the ‘disruptor’ in men’s tennis, as she suggests the acclaim he craves will only come when he ends his career.
“I think there is a feeling that he will be appreciated when he stops playing,” she continued.
“That isn’t fair in many respects, but I think there is total respect for what he has achieved and in some ways his arrival on the scene was too late.
“People loved the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and this third guy as the disrupter. The fans have already divided up their loyalty and there was none left for Djokovic.
“I think he embraced the role of being the baddie and then he wants to be loved. Maybe that will come when he stops playing and everyone sits back and says ‘wow, that was an amazing career’.”
Djokovic has suggested his encouraging performances in Australia have fuelled the rest of 2025, with Salmon suggesting the win against Carlos Alcaraz was evidence that a 25th Grand Slam title can come for the Serbian legend.
“Djokovic’s performance in his win against Alcaraz shows the level is still there if the body allows him to get No 25,” she added.
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