Wimbledon crowd fail to learn obvious Novak Djokovic lesson that might cost Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic thrives when the fans are against him
GETTY
For whatever reason, Novak Djokovic isn't the most beloved champion despite his incredible achievements. In the majority of his 36 previous Grand Slam finals, Djokovic has had to contend with most of the support being for the man on the other side of the net.
That's not entirely surprising with most of Djokovic's opponents over the years being considered as underdogs - and sports fans love nothing more than an underdog.
But it's more of an even playing field this afternoon when Djokovic faces Carlos Alcaraz in a hotly-anticipated rematch of last year's epic Wimbledon final.
Despite there not being much to split the two in terms of ability and quality, there is clear daylight between them when it comes to popularity.
Alcaraz is seen as the heir to the throne at the top of men's tennis and his charming and infectious smile on court makes him hard not to root for.
Novak Djokovic thrives when the fans are against him
GETTY
But Djokovic is almost the polar opposite in the sense that he appears to find top gear when the crowd are fully against him - even if they actually aren't.
Whether some sections of the crowd were actually booing Djokovic while chants of 'Rune' rung around Centre Court doesn't actually matter because the Serbian ultimately felt they were.
Maybe it's something Djokovic actually tries to seek out on court in order to give him some fire in his belly.
His semi-final win against Lorenzo Musetti was as routine as they come with little to no disruption in the entire match.
But there was a spatter of support for Musetti towards the very end of the match as the Italian threatened a very unlikely comeback and that appeared to irk Djokovic.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion reacted by mocking a section of the crowd, smiling as he stepped to the back of the court to fetch more balls while on serve.
He then quickly wrapped up the match before pulling out his violin celebration as a touching tribute to his daughter Tara, six, who started learning the musical instrument earlier this year.
The Centre Court crowd appeared to misunderstand the meaning of the celebration as they began booing, but Djokovic played up to the jeers by continuing his celebration while facing all sides of the court.
The awkward misunderstanding showed that Djokovic can laugh off a situation where the crowd is against him in unison.
But it's a different story entirely when Djokovic's game face is on and it's what has ultimately helped him over the years to become the all-time great winning machine that he is today.
In Djokovic's younger years, he yearned for the level of popularity that Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray received on tour and around the world.
Novak Djokovic doesn't care how he comes across
BBC
He couldn't understand why - despite being a generational talent and arguably the best tennis player in history - the fans weren't showering him with love.
But that desire to be liked has now worn off and he's now developed a siege mentality of him against the world.
It's led to a more genuine and authentic Djokovic who isn't afraid of saying how he truly feels on court.
LATEST SPORT NEWS:
Carlos Alcaraz will likely be the crowd-favourite on Centre Court
GETTY
And that could well spell trouble for Alcaraz this afternoon if the crowd continue feeding into Djokovic's isolation bubble.
If that bubble bursts - as it has done a few times already this week - Alcaraz will need to be laser-focused to keep his opponent at bay.
Djokovic will almost be banking on that to happen as he bids to take revenge on the man who ended his unbeaten Wimbledon run 12 months ago.
It sets up another fascinating final and the impact of the crowd inside Centre Court can't be underestimated.
You may like
