"Novak Djokovic is being thrashed like a bag of sand", writes the most respected Swiss newspaper under the title: "Babaroga: Why Novak Djokovic provokes us so much".
Stating that Djokovic regularly provokes hostile reactions, the paper recalls the tendency of the best tennis player in the world to "some kind of gurus", that he opposed vaccination and was light-hearted in relation to the pandemic.
"A week ago, at the US Open, he proved to be a coward who threw the ball away in frustration, and it stupidly hit a line judge, so Djokovic was disqualified. The age of the crown for Djokovic runs according to Murphy's Law."
Journalist Filip Berč recalls the articles in the Swiss press after the Adriatic Tour, when it was written that "the name of this Serb will go down in sports history" because he thought that "like God he stands above the laws of nature" and caused "a lot of suffering that will possibly lead to deaths".
"That is the tone with which Djokovic is written and judged. Nothing can be said against a critical observation of his actions. But the huge difference compared to the gentle approach to Federer is astonishing. Of course, the tennis player from Basel gives relatively few reasons for attacks and he deftly presents himself in public. He is most polarizing with his construction venture (a huge villa on Lake Zurich, cf. DW), which is too ostentatious for some of his compatriots. But otherwise, few question the only Swiss world star," writes Noje Zircher Zeitung.
"When Federer hosts his Laver Cup or when he shows himself as a philanthropist in the Republic of South Africa or presents a new sneaker model, even the critical media become tame PR agencies in the service of tennis majesty," the text criticizes.
The difference in the attitude towards Federer and Djokovic is exacerbated by the fact that many in Switzerland see the Serbian tennis player as "a threat, a sports aggressor who is reaching for the greatest record of their greatest hero. Who won the most Grand Slams, who spent the most weeks as world number one? More always Federer. But soon it could be Djokovic," the paper writes.
It is further stated that Rafael Nadal is not suitable to be targeted because he is kind to Federer and united with him against Djokovic.
"And Nadal's homeland – Spain! Majorca! Vacationing! – has positive connotations in contrast to Serbia, a nation whose image suffered from the Yugoslav wars."
Filip Berč concludes the text as follows: "Djokovic's successes and mistakes cause a lot of chauvinistic excitement. In Serbia. But also in Switzerland."
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