Because he has maintained his high level of success longer than anyone else, Novak Djokovic is very likely the greatest player of all time. While Jimmy Connors continued to win tournaments well into his 30s, he was a consistent No. 1 seed and nearly annual winner of multiple Grand Slams. That Djokovic is unique.
However, there are also a lot of people who don’t seem to like Novak Djokovic. This seems a little strange considering that most current players who have been interviewed seem to like the Serb. Many of Djokovic’s detractors appear to be both random fans and random athletes who haven’t participated in a competition in decades. When it comes to Adriano Panatta, this is true.
Following his loss to Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals this week, former French Open champion Panatta (1976) said it was beneath the Serb to take a break to use the restroom and then have a physiotherapist massage his sore neck. Bjorn Borg’s only losses at Roland Garros came from Panatta, who beat him twice at the French Open. Panatta even claimed that Djokovic was wasting time and that what he did was something that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would never have done.
Has anyone ever witnessed Federer or Nadal act in the same manner as Djokovic did tonight? Panatta asked Corriere dello Sport. Since he usually breaks the rhythm, I would have wagered anything that he would attempt to do so during the match. He tries everything—the restroom, the physiotherapist, etc.—first. That attitude bothers me greatly. Thankfully, Sinner remains composed and unaffected.
Perhaps Adriano Panatta just needs to calm down and take a deep breath. Sinner overcame Djokovic on Tuesday, marking the Italian’s first victory over the Serb in four meetings. It is Panatta’s pleasure that his man has won.
