‘Novak Djokovic thrives on that’ – Exclusive: Boris Becker says ‘louder the better’ for his former player

Eurosport expert Boris Becker has made it abundantly clear that Novak Djokovic “thrives” on noisy atmospheres as he gave a positive perspective on the loud and engaged crowds that have been a feature of the 2023 Australian Open.

The 21-time Grand Slam winner was in imperious form as he cruised to a commanding 6-1 6-2 6-4 win in just two hours and three minutes as he notched a remarkable 26th successive match win at the event he has made his own.

Djokovic and Rublev had to halt their match at one point due to a particularly noisy heckler, which umpire James Keothavong issued a strong warning about in a stern address (video below). But Becker believes that having noisy fans is not actually a problem for his former charge. On the contrary, he told Eurosport that “the louder and more emotional it is the better” for the nine-time champion at Melbourne Park.

“It’s a theatrical play on the court, where you want to entertain your spectators,” Becker said on Eurosport Germany’s Matchball Becker show.

“You need the feedback. The louder and more emotional it is the better for the performances of the players – and Djokovic, in particular, thrives on that.”

On his performance against Rublev, Becker could not have been more impressed by the play of his former charge – although it did not shock him in any way.

“I’m not surprised, but repeatedly impressed that he is able to deliver his performances again and again,” he said.

“He has been on the tennis tour for quite a few years now, and he has been a bit injured physically – that he always finds the motivation and the strength to play his best tennis right on the dot is impressive.

“The most important thing is that he doesn’t let that impress him now – the semi-final is coming up and he must not look to the future too euphorically.

“He must tick off the match now, relax a bit tonight, and then concentrate on the next match from tomorrow.”

Becker also noted the huge improvement that Djokovic has made with his serve – particularly having worked with Goran Ivanisevic for so long, a legend renowned for his explosive delivery

“At the beginning of his career, the serve was a weakness in his game,” Becker said. “But he has understood over the years that the serve is important, and has also worked on improving it – and now it is his strength.

“Today, that also made the difference. Not only the power of the serve but also the many free points that resulted from it. He hit 14 aces. You didn’t see that from Djokovic before.

“On top of that, he made 80 per cent of the points when the first serve went in – those are fantastic numbers, which only the best service players in the world have.”

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