'Just Abusing You': Djokovic's Online Fans Are Easy To Recognize Says Kokkinakis
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Novak Djokovic has a very passionate fanbase, and Thanasi Kokkinakis says there is a way of identifying who is a fan of the Serbian on social media.
Djokovic's actions have split opinions in the tennis world for several years. He is known for having heated interactions with umpires, team members, and fans in the crowd. However, those moments often seem to inspire him.
Another man who used to be quite temperamental on the court was Andy Murray, who played seven Grand Slam finals against Djokovic. The Serbian shocked the tennis world by appointing Murray as his new coach until at least the end of the 2025 Australian Open.
While figures like Toni Nadal think Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have earned a higher level of respect than Djokovic because of how they conducted themselves, others embrace the 24-time Grand Slam champion's authenticity.
Fans have also formed strong opinions about Djokovic based on off-court incidents. For example, he held the Adria Tour in 2020, which led to several people becoming infected with COVID-19. Afterward, he refused to take the vaccine for the same disease.
Djokovic's ardent and passionate online fanbase grew substantially after he was infamously refused entry into Australia in 2022 because he was not vaccinated despite being granted a medical exemption by the Australian Open organizers.
Many admired Djokovic for refusing to go against his own personal beliefs. They felt he was mistreated during the incident, which included the former ATP world No. 1 being detained for five days before being deported.
While many Djokovic fans on social media are passionate but also respectful, others can cross the line and become unpleasant if anyone criticizes their favorite player in any manner.
Kokkinakis conversed with Denis Shapovalov and Dominic Thiem in a conversation recorded for the Ultimate Tennis Showdown. They mentioned how Federer made players feel like juniors.
During the same conversation, Kokkinakis mentioned how to recognize Djokovic's online fans. He claimed they have Lacoste emojis in their bios and abuse players more than fans of other players.
"In tennis Twitter, if you like Djokovic, everyone has this little Lacoste emoji. They have this little crocodile. You know they are a Djokovic fan if they have that and they are just abusing you."
Although Kokkinakis' words might seem harsh, the former Australian Open men's doubles champion is not the only man to discuss Djokovic's online fans in that way: Andy Roddick also did this.
Roddick mentioned on an episode of his podcast earlier this year that Djokovic's fans on X (formerly Twitter) are scary because they can be vicious over seemingly benign comments about the Serbian.
"I’m so scared of Nole’s (Djokovic’s) Twitter people. I say something like he was breathing heavily and even though he was breathing heavily, they are like f*** you! I just eat s*** from them all the time."
Having favorite players and being passionate about tennis is not bad, but it should always be done respectfully and not abusively. That applies to supporters of all players on the ATP and WTA Tours.
