Maria Sharapova is one of Djokovic’s favourite players to imitateHe may be World No. 1 and has been at the top of his game for a number of years – and Novak Djokovic has only been getting better. One would expect that a player so wholly committed to and immersed in his craft and improving his skills would be serious and stern, and on court, he is. But when he’s not playing a game, he is anything but.The Serb has a reputation for being a (D)joker on and off the court, and in addition to being one of tennis’ most affable characters, is known to impersonate colleagues, coaches and everyone in between.Here are 5 of his funniest:
#5 Rafael Nadal
Theirs is the most prolific rivalry in the Open Era, second only to the Federer-Djokovic rivalry in terms of matches played. The two have played each other 47 times in the past, with Djokovic narrowly ahead of Nadal with 24 wins over the Spaniard.
The two have played on every surface possible, and given Djokovic’s debilitating form it is unsurprising that of their last ten matches, it is Djokovic who has won 9 times.
At the 2009 Rome Masters, Rafael Nadal continued his immense run of form at the Internazional BNL d’Italia, having won titles four times in the previous five years. Novak Djokovic was runner-up.
The Serb continued to banter with his rival even after the trophies were presented. Although neither player is Italian, both speak the language, which is arguably easier for Nadal considering Italian’s proximity with his native language, Spanish.
With the post-match interviews conducted in Italian, Djokovic proceeded to mimic Nadal's stance and play before the end of the evening’s proceedings.
#4 Boris Becker
Becker is one of the icons of the game, and the former World No. 1, a six-time Grand Slam winner, joined Djokovic’s coaching team in 2013.
Djokovic, who was already in incredible form, continued that momentum after Becker came on board, winning another 5 Grand Slams and a number of masters titles afterwards.
The Serb, like many other professional tennis players, also idolised Becker, and therefore will have watched him intently even before the two developed a close relationship.
Having become even closer afterwards, and with Djokovic’s propensity for mimicry, it’s no surprise that he imitated Boris – with the German watching on.
#3 John McEnroe
John McEnroe is one of the best the game has seen. He has seven grand slam singles titles and 149 on the ATP Tour. But the serve-and-volley expert is arguaby known more for his temper, which is one of the worst in the entire sporting world.
McEnroe is on par with Ilie Nastase in that regard – and the Romanian was so foul-tempered that his on-court nickname was ‘Nasty.’
Here, Djokovic imitated – and then took on McEnroe at the 2009 US Open, and the American showed he hadn’t lost his touch. He did not just return to Djokovic on court, but imitated the Serb right back.
#2 Maria Sharapova
If you thought Djokovic’s accurate impressions were restricted to male players, think again. The Serb has spared no-one, not even former World No.1 Maria Sharapova.
He has mimicked her on several different occasions, but perhaps the best was at The Boodles 2013 in London. The Boodles 2013 was purely an exhibition match, played as a warm-up to Wimbledon.
The hostess at the event asked both players on court to imitate Maria Sharapova. The really awkward kicker? On the other side of the net from chronic mimic Djokovic was Sharapova’s boyfriend at the time, Bulgarian ace Grigor Dimitrov.
Nevertheless, the pair both went through with the impression, but it was Djokovic’s spot-on recreation of Sharapova’s on-court demeanour and scream that drew the biggest laughs from spectators – and Dimitrov himself.
#1 Roger Federer
They share one of the most iconic rivalries in the Open Era – and, in fact, in the game. They have played each other 46 times in the past, with each having won 23 times.
So it’s no surprise that Djokovic knows Federer’s mannerisms inside-out. It’s rumoured that the current and former World No. 1 do not get on particularly well off-court, a rumour fueled by the Serb’s coach and former World No. 1 Boris Becker.
But the two have been nothing but civil in their interactions, whether on court or off it.
Djokovic imitates Federer’s pre-serve stance so accurately that from afar, it would be easy to mistake him for the Swiss.
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