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Novak Djokovic talks about the effect of negative comments and how he copes
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Tennis legend Novak Djokovic has achieved almost everything a tennis player can dream of. He has won 24 Grand Slam titles, seven ATP Finals titles, and has stayed as the World No. 1 for over 400 weeks. However, one thing that has tainted his legacy is the lack of respect he has received throughout his career.

Djokovic is still questioned for his on-court behavior and gets booed almost every time he walks out onto the court. People cite different reasons for the hate he gets, but what is less talked about is the effect it has on the player. A narrative has been built that Djokovic thrives on negative energy.

While this is the case on some occasions, it is not always true. The Serbian himself admitted this in a couple of his latest interviews. Talking to Nick Kyrgios on his podcast Good Trouble, Djokovic revealed that he tries to stay competitive despite a hostile atmosphere because a win is more important to him.

As far as off-court goes, obviously, over the years, I have learned lessons in a hard way. Novak Djokovic said

He also admitted that sometimes it is not easy to block out the noise coming his way. Djokovic then went on to talk about the off-court hate he gets every now and then. The Serbian ace said that he learned his lesson the hard way that if a player responds to every negative comment made against him, he cannot go far in his career.

Novak Djokovic shares words of wisdom on how to block negativity

The Serbian tennis ace said that while reading negative comments does anger him, he tries not to respond to them and he learned this over his career. Novak Djokovic said that sometimes these negative comments work in his favor and other times he just tries to focus on the positives.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion said that he does not want to live his life thinking about the negatives but instead, maintain good relations with colleagues on the tour and make the fans happy with his game.

When you respond to every article you read or every statement made, it's not going to get you far, it is only going to pi-- you off and I don't want to live this way...I want to have good relations with people; I care about the sport and playing in front of people, making them happy with my tennis. That is what it's all about. Novak Djokovic said on Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios.

Djokovic seems to have mastered this art of not allowing negative comments into his head. Nole enjoys proving everyone wrong, and he looks well on course with what he has achieved in his career.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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