“Lying on a Cardboard Bed & Eating the Same as Everyone”: Olympian Lauds Novak Djokovic for Sportsmanship Conduct

World number one Novak Djokovic has been receiving innumerable appreciation posts for his display of warmth towards fellow athletes at the on-going Tokyo Olympic games. Irrespective of the sport, every athlete heaped praises on the Serb for sharing insights on how to handle tough moments during a game.

Having reached the third-round after thrashing Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets, Djokovic has put himself in a comfortable position in pursuit of maiden gold medal at the Summer Olympics.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Tennis Training – Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan – July 22, 2021 Novak Djokovic of Serbia during training. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Watch this story: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, and Others Winning Medals of Glory at Olympic Games

The Serbian had bitter experiences in the last two Olympics events, where he was knocked out by Juan Martin del Potro. But, Tokyo appears to be different for Djokovic.

The world number one entered the tournament with incredible confidence as he won both the French Open and Wimbledon titles. With next-gen stars such as Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, etc., are unable to get the better off Djokovic at big tournaments, the Serb is a clear favorite to clinch gold.

Besides being a highly competitive player on-court, Novak is a warm personality off-court. The athletes present at the Olympics village got to see the Serb’s charisma up-close this year. The moment Djokovic entered Tokyo, athletes have taken the opportunity to interact and get some tips for better performance.

Kazakhstan’s water polo player wrote an appreciation post for Novak Djokovic at Tokyo Olympics

One such player who was awe-struck by Djokovic’s welcoming personality at Tokyo was Kazakhstan’s water polo participant Srjdan Vuksanovic.

Vuksanovic wrote a long post on Instagram, praising the simplicity of Novak Djokovic. According to his write-up, Djokovic planned on staying at the village despite having the chance to stay at a star hotel.

“This man(Novak Djokovic) came to Olympics, stays where all of us are staying, lying on a cardboard bed & eating the same as everyone. He gathers in-front of the building with the athletes & tries to give time & smile to everyone who approaches him”, wrote the Kazakh player.

Srdjan Vuksanovic on Instagram: “This man (@DjokerNole) came to Olympics, stays where all of us are staying, lying on a cardboard bed & eating the same as everyone. He gathers in front of the building with the athletes & tries to give time & smile to everyone who approaches him.” pic.twitter.com/bnPVNo6HOo

— Novak India Fans (@NovakIndiaFans) July 26, 2021

It’s clearly one of the best seasons for Djokovic not just on court, but off the court as well. Despite his incredible accomplishments on-court, the Serbian star appeared to be behind Nadal and Federer in terms of appreciation from the masses.

Well, the Tokyo Olympics clearly proved this wrong as the world number one has become the beloved athlete for everyone inside the village. This extra-positivity coming his way will definitely motivate the Serb to reach closer and closer to win the first-ever golden slam of men’s tennis(in a calendar year).

Also read: “Every Athlete Is a Colleague of Mine”: Novak Djokovic on Positive Energy at Tokyo Olympics 2020

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