Novak Djokovic has explained all behind his violin celebration after beating Alexei Popyrin at Wimbledon on Saturday – and it was not directed at the crowd.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner came through in four sets against the Australian in a tough match on Centre Court.
Immediately after winning, he put his racket on his shoulder and mimicked playing a violin before then blowing a kiss.
Commentators hinted that it could be because he does not get the love from the crowd he feels he deserves.
Djokovic’s relationship with the crowd at Wimbledon has been an up-and-down one. Tensions have sometimes boiled over.
However, the violin celebration was not the case. He explained to the Serbian media the true story behind it.
“My Tara [his daughter] has been playing the violin for some time, six months, and it was our agreement that I would celebrate like that,” revealed Djokovic.
The 37-year-old went on to talk about the famous celebrations of other star athletes that inspired him.
He continued: “(Usain) Bolt! Ronaldo and that ‘sui’, I also like Agassi’s waving with a kiss when he bows. Guga [Gustavo Kuerten] at Roland Garros with heart, [Jo-Wilfried] Tsonga had that interesting football one, there are interesting ones… [Jude] Bellingham, it simply spreads its arms, Alcaraz did that, I did that at Roland Garros.
“It’s interesting and fun that we can take it from other sports, combine sports, it travels quickly through networks.
“Everyone has their own thing, I changed it, it depends on the moment and feelings, now I have a violin. [Radek] Štepanek was the first to do that, I was joking with him, he had that celebration, we even remembered when I played against him at the US Open in 2007 in five sets in some great heat.
“It was some crazy point, then he did it, then I responded to him with a point or two, it dates from then.”
Djokovic will now go on to face Holger Rune in the Last-16 of Wimbledon as the seven-time winners bids to add another trophy to his collection.
He was full of praise for his Danish opponent ahead of their battle on Monday.
“He’s been a very dedicated guy. Once he sees something is off, he’s going to go out on the practice court and he’s going to work on it,” said Djokovic. “That’s what I always loved about him.”
News Summary:
- Novak Djokovic explains hidden meaning behind violin celebration and was inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo and Jude Bellingham
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.