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Denis Kudla lost to Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon third round on Friday. And after the match, he claimed that one of the reasons Djokovic doesn't get a lot of crowd support is that the majority of tennis spectators are fans of Roger Federer.
According to Kudla, such fans want Federer to hold on to his Grand Slam record, and so they express hostility towards Djokovic.
The World No. 1 didn't enjoy the best of support during his clash with Kudla on Friday. Many spectators on Court 1 threw their weight behind the American, especially when he led by a break in the third set.
In his post-match press conference, Denis Kudla first opined that fans want to see "surprises" and so they don't root as vociferously for Novak Djokovic despite holding him in high regard. The American further pointed out that Roger Federer is always cheered on by the fans, a luxury that Djokovic doesn't enjoy.
However, Kudla stressed that the Serb is not affected by all this and that he always finds a way to come out on top.
"I think everyone respects what Novak does a lot, but they want to see surprises," Kudla said. "With Federer, it's different, they always encourage him. But in the end, Djokovic doesn't care. He's determined to win, he's extremely good. There really is nothing he can do wrong on the court."
Denis Kudla then elaborated on why fans "cheer against" Novak Djokovic. Kudla suggested that most people are aware how Djokovic is a big threat to Roger Federer's record of 20 Grand Slams, and so they don't want him to keep winning.
"Everyone respects what he (Novak Djokovic) does, but I think there are unanimously Roger fans in this world," Kudla said. "I think they just maybe want him to keep that record. That's probably one reason they cheer against him."
"If I can get the crowd on my side, it's only going to help me" - Denis Kudla on his tactics against Novak Djokovic
Denis Kudla was clearly the crowd favorite against Novak Djokovic on Friday, and he tried using that to his advantage. Kudla exhorted the spectators to keep rooting for him, in the hope that that would boost his chances.
During his press conference, the World No. 114 admitted he had planned to use the crowd support to try and unsettle Novak Djokovic during the match.
"It was part of the tactics, to use the crowd and try to get him flustered," Kudla said. "If I can get the crowd on my side, it's only going to help me, at least I think so. That was definitely in the game plan."
Denis Kudla further pointed out how fans usually root for the underdog in sport, and especially so against athletes as dominant as Novak Djokovic.
"People like the underdogs," the 28-year-old added. "I think in most sports when you see someone who's that highly ranked and as dominant as him, people just want to see a change, unfortunately."
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