Marian Vajda claims many people are "jealous" of Novak Djokovic's "perfection", says the Serb deserves more "positive" media coverage

Novak Djokovic's long-time coach Marian Vajda recently spoke at length about the Serb's relationship with the media and his dominance of the men's tour.

Djokovic has been portrayed in a bad light by certain sections of the media throughout his career. His comments are often misconstrued and taken out of context by publications, painting him as a villain on many occasions.

Marian Vajda, who has been part of Djokovic's coaching team since 2006, believes certain sections of the media show tunnel-vision when it comes to his charge.

The Slovak explained that Djokovic's sheer dominance is one of the reasons why people end up rooting for his opponents, who are almost always the underdogs. In that regard, Vajda claimed certain people are "jealous" of the World No. 1's status.

"The media write what they want, perhaps to push an agenda or they want to influence something," Vajda said in a conversation with Sasa Ozmo of Tennis Majors. "Sometimes, they are one-sided and do not see the complexity of Novak’s personality. He is fantastic, a very nice and a positive person, which brings a lot of good energy to spectators.

"Sometimes, people are in favor of the underdog, because Novak is so dominant and nobody wants to see him winning," he added. "His domination is so big that many people are jealous when seeing such perfection, so they ask: “How is this possible? How can he win so much?” They do not believe it."

Vajda declared that it was not wrong to want a new champion, but admitted that there should always be a sporting motive behind such sentiment. Vajda then went on to express hope that the media would give Djokovic more "positive coverage."

"In a way, it is normal in sports that people want to see somebody else at number one," Vajda went on. "My hope is that it has only to do with the sporting side, but I would like to see a more balanced (media) approach when it comes to Novak.

"Media promotes Nadal and Federer, the younger generation too – nice things are being written about Novak as well, but from my point of view, he deserves more positive coverage, he is a true champion."

Novak Djokovic, with his Wimbledon title

Having won the first three Slams of the year, Djokovic is on course to complete the Calendar Golden Slam. He can achieve the feat by winning the Olympic gold in singles and the US Open title this year.

While the Serb's participation at the Olympics is still up in the air, he will undoubtedly enter the US Open as a heavy favorite. Considering the stakes, there will be an incredible amount of pressure on the 34-year-old.

A victory at Flushing Meadows would not only seal a historic Calendar Slam, but it would also ensure Djokovic moves past Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's tally of 20 Major titles.

Against that background, Vajda admitted it would be important for the Serb to maintain his composure while dealing with the media.

"He needs to avoid the media, because the media creates the pressure," added Djokovic's coach. "Not to “avoid,” but to deal with it in the right way, and Novak knows how to do that. He won’t take some negative questions personally, for example. He has come a long way in handling that relationship."

"Sometimes Novak Djokovic puts too much pressure on himself" - Marian Vajda

Novak Djokovic

Turning his attention to the challenges of being a top coach, Marian Vajda revealed how Djokovic puts a lot of pressure on himself to win.

The 56-year-old reckons the Serb is the only player who can handle such pressure, making him a great champion.

"We adjust practices to the next opponent, but it is more about the mental aspect, to be ready," Vajda said. "You do not want to lose, that is the pressure, but if anyone can handle it, it is Novak. It is funny, the relationship with pressure. Sometimes Novak puts too much pressure on himself, but if he did not put not that pressure on himself, he would never be the champion that he is."